


Happy Holidays

by corikane



Series: Christmas Stories [4]
Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/F, Family, Fluff, Swan-Mills Family
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-01-05
Updated: 2014-05-13
Packaged: 2017-11-23 18:51:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 35,945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/625448
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/corikane/pseuds/corikane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>This story was called 'Christmas in Storybrooke' before but I added a chapter and changed the title. It continues on New Year's Eve with Emma and Regina once again thrown into the domesticity of an unusual family. (No copyright infringement intended.)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Christmas in Storybrooke

It was the night before Christmas... actually, it was the day before Christmas and James and Henry had set out early to get a Christmas tree. Since Storybrooke was a special place on the map of Maine, trees could actually be felled in the woods around town and would (magically) regrow within the year. James and Henry had gotten a beautiful tree, and it was fortunate that the apartment the 'Charming family' shared had a high ceiling because it was also tall. While the 'men' were out in the woods, Emma and Snow had gotten everything they would need to cook a traditional Christmas dinner. This far, they hadn't come to the actual cooking yet, Snow was still brewing over recipes and Emma had no idea how to cook, she would just do what her mother told her to.  
Emma had kept busy with making popcorn and putting it on strings - and eating a lot of the popcorn in the process which earned her nasty looks from her mother.  
"You will ruin your appetite," Snow warned.  
"Appetite for what, frozen turkey?" Emma smiled charmingly, actually reminding Snow of that irresistable smile James often wore. She couldn't scold Emma. "Maybe we should just go to Granny's later," the blonde suggested.  
"Do you actually think that Granny's will be open tonight?" Snow asked her daughter skeptically.  
"We can't be the only ones who can't cook..." and mumbling: "... with all the princesses around this place."  
James came out from under the tree, having secured it in a heavy foot he had bought for the occasion.  
"May I remind you that you're a princess, too?" He asked, smiling. Emma made a face.  
"No," she answered blatantly and Henry giggled. He was spending Christmas with Snow White, Prince Charming and his mom, and they didn't seem to have had a decent Christmas between them. He had been lucky that way, he pondered, his mom... Regina, she was a traditional person and she wanted everything just so for any holiday. Looking back, Henry thought that maybe she had tried too hard, on the other hand, they had had a rich and tasty Christmas dinner, they had had a beautifully decorated tree in the hall of the mayor's mansion (his granddad's tree was beautiful, too, it also had a slight angle Henry didn't have the heart to point out to James), and there had been many presents under the tree. The tradition Henry had liked best, though, were the roasting of marshmallows over a fire these last two years. His mom, Regina, had tried to come up with something new, something original they could do and had asked him what he would enjoy doing. So, before he went to bed and before Regina would go to the Midnight Mass, they would sit in front of the fireplace, roasting marshmellows. He wondered if he should tell his mom, Emma, about this. He also wondered if he should stop thinking of Regina as his mom - but then, that's what she'd been for eleven years of his life. And, he had to silently confess to himself, she hadn't done such a bad job, either.  
"Maybe we shouldn't have gotten turkey, it needs like a thousand hours to cook," Snow huffed and threw another recipe book on a pile that was already lying on her kitchen counter. "This is the first time I am having my family around in 28 years and I can't even feed them because I spent the last 28 years of my life eating microwave dinners at Christmas. I'm lost here." She exclaimed, frustrated.  
"Hey." James walked over to his wife and lay his arms around her. "It's okay, you know that you'll never get lost when I'm around. 'Cause I'll always find you." They kissed. Emma rolled her eyes. They were doing it again.  
"And I'll always find you." Snow answered, and they kissed some more.  
"It would help if you got lost first," Emma mumbled and Henry who had been the only one hearing it giggled again. His mom grinned at him. She got up off her comfortable perch on the couch and brought the strings of popcorn over to the tree. She started hanging them.  
"A little help here, Henry?", she asked her son but then noticed his skeptical face.  
"Something wrong?" she asked and he frowned.  
"This is not how you do it," he answered and she looked at him questioningly.  
"Why not?"  
"You first hang the ornaments and stuff, the popcorn is the last thing you hang on the tree," he explained like every kid knew the basics of Christmas tree decorating. His face was serious and Emma knew that the way he described it, it had been a traditional thing with his other mom. He didn't like to tell her how Regina would do things, and he had come up with ways to say things that he didn't have to bring her up, like he felt that the mention of his life with the mayor would hurt her. It didn't - most of the time - but it reminded her that she had missed ten years of his life, ten years in which - by all that Henry knew, did, took for granted - Regina had presented Henry with perfectly traditional holidays. She had given him what few kids got: a sense of how a childhood should be, the way it was in stories.  
Emma saw that she was failing at this. She looked up at the tree on which she had hung one string of popcorn so far, it looked desperate. And she remembered now that she hadn't even thought about buying any other Christmas tree decorations, no lights, no ornaments, nothing. Their tree would be a popcorn tree and by the amounts of what she had already eaten, it wouldn't even be very well decorated. She turned toward her parents to ask whether they had any decorations stored somewhere, but they were still cooing and kissing all over each other. Emma sighed.  
Henry came over to her and tugged at the sleeve of her red-checkered flanel shirt. She crouched down to him.  
"It's okay, you know. I'm just so glad that you are here now, I don't need a Christmas tree or a turkey, or any of that," he said earnestly. She felt tears threaten to flood her eyes at the sweet words but she wasn't one to cry.  
"Tell me something, Henry," she said and he nodded. "Before you got the book from... your grandmother, did you think there was something amiss in your life? Was there ever a moment when you felt that your... Regina, that she didn't love you?" Henry contemplated this, wondered if she wanted a straight answer or an answer that wouldn't hurt her feelings. Emma saw the conflict in his eyes. "The truth now," she demanded.  
He shook his head.  
"I know that my mo... Regina, that she loves me. When David...," he shook his head as if to clear it. "When granddad came to take me home, when she said it was okay that he should take me, she said that she wasn't very good at loving but that's not true. She has always loved me. I just thought, y'know, after I read the book that people who were evil... that they couldn't love." It sounded like a confession, he didn't know if the outcome of so much truth would be good.  
Emma nodded.  
"She is a good mom, though, isn't she?" And it wasn't easy for her to ask it. But if she knew one thing about the mayor, ex-mayor, she knew that she loved Henry, fiercely loved him. She thought about Regina for a moment, the fact that she was spending her first Christmas since Henry's adoption alone, that she was probably missing her child. They had run into her, earlier when they were grocery shopping. Regina had shopped for a very traditional dinner but it was a dinner for one.  
"Yes, she is," Henry roused her out of her thoughts and she nodded.  
"Would you like to spend Christmas with her, Henry?" Emma asked and a panicked look came over the boy's face.  
"And not with you? But I want to spend Christmas with you, and grandma and granddad. It doesn't matter, mom. I don't need any of that stuff my mo... Regina does," he had tears in his eyes and she hugged him close. "Don't you want to spend Christmas with me?" He asked through tears.  
"Of course I do, Henry. I just...," she held him at arm's length again. "I thought... I know she misses you, and I think you miss her, too. And maybe..."  
"Maybe we can all go over and celebrate Christmas with her," Henry suggested. His face lit up.  
That hadn't been what Emma had wanted to say, though she wasn't sure what she had been about to say. Henry's words and the smile on his face knocked the wind out of her: Christmas with Regina Mills? Was that the answer? Or was it mere madness?  
"No way," she heard from behind her. She looked into her mother's eyes, it seemed that her parents hadn't been as wrapped up into each other as she had thought. Snow must at least have heard the last part of this conversation. Emma stood up and faced the martriarch, because make no mistake, that was exactly what Snow White was now, she was protector, she was nurturer, she was in charge. But Emma was a mother, too, and she looked down at Henry's hopeful face, her hand on his shoulder, squeezing it.  
Emma went over to the counter, she took paper and pen and wrote down a few things. She would do what was best for Henry, and she had to explain it that way to her mother. That meant, getting rid of James and Henry for awhile.  
"I think we have forgotten some things at the grocer's, dad. Would you and Henry go get this?" She handed her father the list. James looked unsure from Emma to his wife, he knew what was going on, he wasn't that dense, but he didn't know whether he should stick around and put in his five cent's worth of wisdom.  
Snow rid him of this insecurity when she nodded and James turned to Henry:  
"Come on, buddy, let's see if we can get this real quick so we can eat sometime today, eh?" Henry smiled and nodded. They set out but not before Henry repeated what he had already said to his mother before:  
"It's okay, I just want to spend Christmas with you." She hugged him once more and then the Charming 'men' left.

Emma turned to Snow once the door closed behind her father. She came around the counter to her mother's side, took her hand. It was strange how these interactions had ceased to be awkward while they were in Fairy Tale Land, but was probably also the reason she didn't feel quite at ease with James - her dad. He hadn't been there, they had yet some bonding to do. And Emma surmised that they would, still, the bond between mother and daughter was already stronger.  
"Regina will be alone on Christmas," she said.  
"She's the evil queen, Emma, don't you think there should be some kind of punishment for that?"  
"She's also the woman who raised Henry, mom. She..." Was she actually defending Regina? Emma shook her head, she'd be damned but she did. This was so weird but it was still what was best for her son, she knew that in her gut. Eleven years of a mother/son relationship didn't just vanish even if she preferred it did, even if her whole family was determined to forget about it.  
"With everything you have seen in the last eleven years, has Regina been a bad mother to Henry?" Snow looked stubbornly at Emma but stil answered her daughter's question with a shake of her head.  
"Has he seemed unhappy in those years... before you gave him the book?"  
"I gave him that book..." Snow started to defend herself but Emma silenced her with a squeeze of her hand, she hoped it was reassuring.  
"I know why you gave him the book, mom, and I'm not saying that it was a mistake, okay?" Snow nodded then she said:  
"No, I don't think Henry was unhappy. He was never very popular with the other kids but he's... I think he prefers books to people, sometimes. But it's gotten better since the curse has been lifted, he socializes more." Emma nodded.  
"Mom, I know how you feel about Regina and believe me, if I it was just about me or you - we wouldn't have to have anything to do with her. But she was... is his mother, too. She has cared for him, fed him, clothed him for eleven years. And she has loved him, still does. Without her, we might have not made it out of Fairy Tale Land. She's... the evil queen but she is also Regina Mills, mom. Dad said it: we are both - or rather you are both since I have never been a fairy tale character."  
"You were in Fairy Tale Land, darling, which would mean you were a fairy tale character for a while," her mother smiled and brushed a lock of hair out of her daughter's eyes.  
"Yeah, well, I think I failed the princess test, nobody invited me to a ball," Emma smirked but then sobered. "She's not just evil, we both know that. She tries to better herself, Henry told me and Cric... Archie confirmed it. I think she... deserves SOMETHING for her efforts, don't you?"  
"Can't we send a gift certificate?" Snow pouted but her daughter shook her head.  
"I still don't think it's gonna work, Emma. I mean, even if I... were to overcome my... feelings, strong feelings of aversion against her, she will never do the same. To her, I'm responsible for her true love's death. And now I get to have my happy ending with Charming and you and... her son." Emma contemplated this and she knew there was only one solution.  
"Then Henry and I will go alone," Snow's eyes went round at this, she shook her head.  
"It's our first Christmas together, Emma. We..." Emma took her mother's other hand, looked at her.  
"And we will have it, mom. Henry and I will go over for dinner, we will eat, Henry can open a few presents and then we'll come back here and have our own Christmas. I'm doing this for Henry, mom, because I think he wants it, or needs it. Even though, he doesn't want to say it. We'll be back later, I promise, and we'll also have tomorrow, the whole day tomorrow." Snow looked sad but she knew her daughter was right. This was about Henry, he was the child, he had to be protected. Emma could take care of herself, and they wouldn't be gone forever, there would still be enough of Christmas left. Still, it hurt her that Emma would spend even the tiniest amount of time of this family holiday with the woman... who had done so much evil. But Emma was indeed right, if everyone else was two persons now then Regina was not just the evil queen, she was also the woman who had let this town for the last 28 years, who had organized things, who - though she had never been a friend - had been a provider. And a good mother to Henry. She could have been warmer, of course, there was a certain formality in her that could be called coldness... but Snow remembered the girl she had been and how much she had loved Daniel. Regina was capable of love, maybe she just needed someone to remind her of that. Snow nodded slowly.  
"You are right. It's for Henry and maybe it'll be good for Regina, too." The short-haired woman cocked her head at her daughter. "You're not just doing this to get a decent Christmas meal out of it, do you?" Emma smiled  
"Would I do that?" Emma feigned innocence but Snow didn't buy that act for a second.

It was almost an hour later when the doorbell to the mayor's mansion rang and Regina looked up from the book she had been reading. In truth, she hadn't been reading at all, she had stared at the words to Henry's favorite Christmas story with tears in her eyes because she wouldn't be reading it to him - for the first year since he'd come to live with her.  
This day had already been a nightmare and every little detail she remembered of Christmases past only added to a growing pile of depressing thoughts. She had been in Henry's room earlier, that had almost been her undoing. She felt such sadness and at the same time such anger at the Charmings that she had wanted to lash out, to hurt them somehow. But she knew that what hurt them would hurt Henry - and she couldn't do that. She couldn't do anything. She was weak like mother had said, weak.  
The bell rang again, she had almost forgotten about it. She got up and went to the door, wondering who it would be. If it was that quack who wanted her to talk about her feelings some more, she would give him a magical awakening. She wasn't in the mood. Then again, maybe it was another mob - was it already Tuesday again?  
Regina smiled at the cynical thought but it faltered when she opened the door and encountered Emma Swan... and Henry.  
"Hey, mom. Merry Christmas." Henry stepped toward her and she automatically kneeled and pulled him into a tight hug. For a moment she closed her eyes as if this was a dream she wanted to keep behind them but when she opened them again, Henry was still there. And so was Miss Swan. She looked up at her and saw the slight smile on the other woman's lips. And, for once, it wasn't sarcastic or condescending, it was honest.  
Regina let go of Henry and cleared her throat. She tried to clear her voice of the emotions she felt but it was no use. Her "Merry Christmas" cracked and new tears formed in her eyes, happy tears.  
"This is a surprise," she finally got out. "To what do I owe this visit?"  
"May we come in?" Emma asked and this was another surprise for the mayor, yet she wasn't sure if it would be another good one. Still, she nodded and pulled the door open.  
"Henry, why don't you bring this bag into the kitchen?" Emma handed her son the bag of groceries her dad had bought and he went into the kitchen with it. He smiled at both his moms before he went and that brought another smile to Regina's face.  
'She's quite the beauty.' The thought flashed quite unbidden through Emma's mind but it was certainly true. When Regina Mills didn't frown or sneer at her, she was probably one of the most beautiful women Emma had ever met. This seemed quite remarkable considering that they lived in a town with several fairy tale princesses.  
"Miss Swan?" Regina roused Emma out of her reverie and looked at her questioningly. "Why are you here?"  
"Because of the kid. Henry wanted to spend Christmas with you." The simple revelation brought renewed tears to Regina's eyes but she turned away from Emma to not have her see them. It was a lost battle, there were emotions all over her face and body and Emma had no trouble seeing them all.  
"Did he say that?" Regina wiped at her eyes.  
"Not with so many words but... it was plain that he misses you, so, I thought..." Regina turned fully back to her visitor, looking at her curiously. "I thought we could have dinner together." Emma put forward and saw an eyebrow raising in another yet unuttered question. She knew what it would be and Regina didn't surprise her with its utterance:  
"We?"  
"Yes, we. Henry, you and I." They looked at each other for a long moment, seizing each other up, reliving some of the more antagonistic moments of their acquaintance. It felt impossible but then Henry came sauntering back into the hall, looking curiously at his two moms, and Regina nodded.  
"Well, I hope you have brought some more potatoes. We'll need them." She straightened her shoulders and went into the kitchen, laying her hand on Henry's shoulder and taking him with her. Henry looked back at Emma who shrugged out of her red leather jacket and followed mayor and son.

Cooking was an awkward enterprise. Regina obviously knew what she was doing, Emma - equally obviously - wasn't. Regina gave her the potatoes and told her to peel them. She at least did a decent job with it, but it took forever. Henry lend a helping hand and he was actually much better at it than his birth mom. It seemed that Regina and Henry had spent some time together cooking in the past. Emma was surprised but it was a good surprise. Meanwhile, Regina expertly turned the kitchen into a cave of smells, sizzles and flavors. She truly was in her element.  
"Who taught you to cook like this?" Emma asked amazed but it wasn't really a welcome question, she could tell by the look on Regina's face.  
"My mother hired a chef to teach me."  
'Stepped right into that one,' Emma berated herself silently.  
"Sorry," she mumbled.  
"Not at all, Miss Swan, cooking was one of the things I have always enjoyed doing. If you're finished with the potatoes would you please wash them? Don't hold them under the water too long, we don't want to drown out their flavor." Emma did as Regina told her.  
"Good, could you start with the carrots? I hope you like mashed potatoes?" Emma smiled in the affirmative.  
'If this gets any more polite we will exchange bows and curseys next," the thought almost made her laugh out loud. To cover she put a frown on her face. The thing was that this was rather comical. Who would have thought? She was cooking Christmas dinner with the woman who was responsible for her having been sent through a magical wardrobe to this world - and this had just been the beginning of their complicated relationsh... acquaintance, they didn't have a relationship. Emma shook her head. The steam in the room was making her head all fuzzy and idiotic.  
"Is everything okay, Miss Swan?"  
"Do you think you could actually start calling me Emma?" There was an annoyed edge to the question and Henry anxiously looked up from where he was washing some vegetables. Emma mumbled another "sorry" this time to both of them.  
"Emma then," Regina added some red wine to the sauce she was heating, then pulled out two glasses out of one of her cupboards and filled them with some more of the same wine.  
"Here," she held one out to Emma and the surprised woman took it automatically.  
"I'm Regina," and then she clinked glasses and drank. Emma blinked slowly but then followed the other woman's example.  
"Does this mean we're going to do this again?" Emma smirked.  
"What are you doing Easter?" Regina gave back and Emma had to laugh. Regina smiled, there was a mischivous gleam in her eyes, the woman actually had a sense of humor. Nothing could have surprised Emma more, until she noticed that she was staring through dark eyes into a soul that was...  
"Mom, the sauce," Henry called out and Regina swiftly turned and took the pan from the burner.  
"It's not burned," she exclaimed while Emma tried to regain her equilibrium. What was going on here?

They ate, then they cleaned the kitchen together. Apart from the awkwardness that still persisted between Emma and Regina it was quite a domestic scene. Family is having Christmas dinner, family is cleaning kitchen before happily settling into the living room to open presents. Emma felt herself propelled into some 50s movie, she could just imagine Regina wearing pearls and some burgundy dress, very classy, also dressy; she herself in a man's suit, pipe in her mouth, stealing a kiss on the little woman's cheek while their son, perfectly coiffed in a flattop, smiled on.  
Emma shook her head, this was getting out of hand. It was probably best to leave. As she looked around the room, she noticed that Henry had already done that, left his two moms together in the kitchen.  
"Where's Henry?" she uttered confusedly.  
"He just ran upstairs, he wanted to get something from his room," Regina told Emma in a voice that told the other woman that she should have known since Henry had told them before he left. "Are you sure everything's all right, Emma? You seem a little out of sorts." Emma nodded brusquely in reply.  
"Yeah, I'm good. I smell apples," she added after a moment in which she became aware of the enticing smell from the oven.  
"Apple pie," Regina informed her. "What were you expecting? Plum pudding?"  
"Isn't that the more traditional dessert?"  
"Not in my house." Emma probably shouldn't have been surprised, apples were kind of Regina's signature fruit if a person could actually have a signature fruit. Like Eve in the bible. A picture of a naked Regina, a snake languidly wrapped around her body, holding out an apple to herself, flashed through Emma's mind. She turned away from her hostess so that the other woman wouldn't see her blush. What was wrong with her tonight? Why was she seeing all these strange images in her head, why was everything Regina did suddenly tinged with an inuendo?  
'Ridiculous,' she scolded herself. 'There's no inuendo, nothing is tinged, everything is just awkward and we should probably go soon - after we had pie.'  
They both heard Henry coming back down the stairs. He didn't rejoin them in the kitchen but instead went into the living room.  
"What is he up to?" Emma asked but Regina only shrugged.  
"Only one way to find out," she said and went in search of her son. Emma followed, noticing for the first time that Regina was wearing jeans. She had never seen her in anything else than power suits, this woman was born to wear them. But then those jeans sure fit snugly, and Emma realized that she was staring at Regina's shapely behind. This was not good, this was actually very bad. Not because Regina was a woman, Emma had gone out with women, had wooed them and slept with them. But those women hadn't been evil queens, they hadn't been the other mother of her son, they hadn't been Regina Mills, in short. Regina Mills was... all kinds of bad but most certainly bad news. Emma shook her head for the umpteenth time that evening, trying to control her thoughts, to come back to the moment. What had they been doing just now?  
Emma saw Regina standing in the entrance to the living room looking at their son who... what was he doing? Emma joined Regina.  
"What's he doing?" Regina looked over at her, almost as if she had forgotten Emma was still in the house. Once again tears had filled her eyes, and they made her look vulnarable and... beautiful. Emma stared.  
"He's reading his favorite Christmas story. I used to read it to him... every year," the dark-haired woman whispered, not wanting to disturb Henry. Emma looked back at her son, he seemed quite enthralled with his book, a small smile playing on his lips.  
"I wanted to thank you, Mi... Emma," she heard Regina say in that same low voice.  
"For not breaking any of you dishes when filling the dish washer?" Emma asked and Regina smiled.  
"No, for... this," she pointed at her son, there was so much love, so much joy still left in this woman. Why hadn't anybody seen that before, why hadn't anybody tried to reach for it and heal Regina's wounds? Had someone tried, had she not let them?  
Emma felt overwhelmed with the woman she had gotten to know this evening, someone laid back, someone passionate and vulnerable, someone who loved her son more than anyone else. This woman wasn't the woman who had wanted to take happy endings from everybody, this woman was eager to give, not take. She had grown; Emma wondered how much and if the growth would keep her from hurting anyone else yet. Was it possible to redeem oneself?  
Emma thought of herself and she looked back at her son. All he saw was the woman she was now but that wasn't who she's always been. Her past... she hadn't been good, some would say she was a criminal - the law certainly did say so - but she had pulled her life around, had put it back together. Who could say that Regina wouldn't be able to do that if she tried. Emma thought Regina was determined enough to do anything she put her mind to, she had certainly proven so time and again since Emma had come to Storybrooke.  
Henry looked up and smiled at his moms, then he grinned.  
"Look," he pointed to something over their heads. "a mistletoe."  
Both women looked up at the same time, seeing the offending tradition-inducing green ornament with the red ribbon around it.  
"You must kiss," Henry told them. Emma blushed, Regina blanched.  
"Henry," she softly berated her son but he interrupted:  
"It's bad luck if you don't," he said.  
"Where does it say that?" Emma wanted to know.  
"It's a tradition. If a tradition is broken with, it's bad luck," he explained.  
"He's got that line of reasoning from your side of the family," Emma quipped and turned towards Regina. The smaller woman sighed.  
"At least my side of the family provided him with brains," Regina gave back.  
"Ouch."  
"It's just a kiss," Henry said. "Don't be so squeamish about it." He rolled his eyes in obvious imitation of Emma.  
"He's got your pushiness, though," Regina said which elicited a small laugh. "Well, if we must." She then said and stepped toward the blond woman.  
Emma wasn't certain how to approach this. She had kissed women before, of course. So she went about it as she usually would, her hand was going up toward Regina's face but was caught by Regina's who put it back at her side but didn't let go as she just leaned forward and kissed Emma's lips. It was just a kiss, and Emma was sure it wasn't supposed to burn her so complete, take her breath away and make her dizzy. It was the most chaste kiss she had probably ever shared with an attractive woman but it still set her on fire.  
And she was sure Regina felt something, too, because there were sparks when they looked at each other... and purple fog rising from where their hands still held each other.  
"Damn!" Regina cursed and pulled her hand away from Emma. "Why did you do this, Miss Swan? It's magic!" Regina turned and fled to another room whose door had been closed all evening, she slipped through it and closed it behind her.  
"Is everything all right?" Henry asked and came over to his mom who was still staring after Regina.  
"I don't know, Henry. There was this purple stuff again, the magic..."  
"She doesn't want to do magic anymore," Henry said and Emma nodded.  
"I know. Hey, how about... is there something you wanted to do tonight, do you want some apple pie...?"  
"Marshmellows," Henry burst out.  
"Marshmellows?"  
"Yeah, mom... Regina and I always roast marshmellows in the fireplace on Christmas," he explained.  
"Really?" Henry nodded happily. Emma would never have thought to even imagine Regina doing that, then again, there were many things she didn't think she would imagine Regina doing, yet tonight she had.  
"Well, why don't you get the marshmellows and set up in the living room. But don't start without us, okay?" Henry ran toward the kitchen where he knew her mom would probably have stashed the white sugary treats. Emma, meanwhile, followed Regina into the room that turned out to be her home office. Regina stood at the window, looking out into the snowy darkness.  
"Is everything alright?" Emma asked from the doorway. Regina didn't turn around.  
"How could this happen? I promised Henry I wouldn't do anymore magic," she explained. "Why is it that..." Regina now turned. "... that whenever we touch... there's magic. Is it our personalities clashing, good versus bad? What is it in you that... makes me lose complete control over my powers?" The dark-haired woman seemed angry but more at herself than Emma.  
"My mother was right, I am weak," she finally exclaimed and turned back to the window. Emma went over to stand beside her.  
"I'm not sure your mother was ever right where you were concerned. You aren't the... monster she is. You can still love." Regina looked up at Emma with a question in her eyes and Emma said: "You love Henry."  
"Yes. Yes, I love Henry."  
They turned back to the window, staring into the dark yard that now began to show some snowy outlines since Regina hadn't bothered to switch on any lights in the room.  
"Do you think there are different kinds of magic? One good and one bad?" Emma asked Regina about her earlier supposition that their different kinds of magic clashed when they touched.  
"Gold... Rumpelstiltskin always said that all magic comes at a price. He doesn't seem to make any difference."  
"Maybe because he doesn't know," Emma suggested. Regina shook her head.  
"I don't think there's anything that... man doesn't know about magic." The way Regina stressed the word 'man' suggested that she had other words in her mind to fill its place.  
"When we first did it - magic... when we tried to get rid of the wraith, we condemned a man to lose his soul," Emma recalled the consequence of them going through the portal to Fairy Tale Land. "His name was Philip. We wanted to do something good - to protect the people we love - but it backfired." She said.  
"Then there is no good and bad magic, there's only magic. And everybody must pay their price for using it," Regina surmised.  
"But what about the fairies?" Emma asked. "From what I read in the book, they seem fairly happy with using magic whenever... turning mice into horses and all that stuff." She couldn't quite believe she was theorizing over fairy tales but then again fairy tales had become her reality. She had actually been to Fairy Tale Land, and even before that she had killed a dragon... Emma once again shook her head. Maybe the trick was to not think about all of this too much.  
Regina seemed to think about the question but Henry was the one who answered it from the door:  
"It's because of the fairy dust." His moms turned.  
"Henry, haven't I taught you that it's bad manners to eavesdrop?" Regina scolded.  
"Sorry, but it's still the fairy dust, isn't it? It's what makes their magic different from yours or Gold's," he explained.  
"Mr. Gold's, Henry," Regina said automatically but her face turned thoughtful. Emma could see that there was some logic in what Henry had said just by looking at the other woman's expression. But she didn't say anything and after a while Henry asked:  
"Can we do the marshmellows now?" Regina smiled at this.  
"Of course, do you want some pie, too?" Emma watched as Regina went over to her son who now smiled happily. Marshmellows and apple pie, that sounded kind of classy. She followed them out of the room.

Emma was stuffed. She had had a delicious dinner, she had had pie that was to die for (and the best part was that it didn't kill her or put her to sleep - yet), and then there had been marshmellows and hot cocoa - with a splash of cinnamon on top. It had been Christmas as it should be - the kiss under the mistletoe included. The kind of Christmas she had dreamed of as a kid in foster care. No wonder, Henry had wanted to come here... had she had this kind of Christmas in her life she would still be coming back to the place where this kind of thing was possible. Emma felt a tiny twinge of guilt because of how late it was and how disappointed her mom would be that they didn't make it back earlier, to be with her and James.  
Emma shrugged into her jacket, they were leaving. Henry had unpacked all of his Christmas presents earlier and was now carrying a backpack full of new stuff. But he had left some, too. He would be coming back, at least for visits and Emma could see how happy that made Regina. And this was probably for the best for everybody. Maybe they could work something out, maybe they could behave like adults and give Henry what he wanted most rather than indulge in a feud that would just make everybody more miserable. This had been a first step in the right direction, Emma hoped that Regina thought so, too.  
Henry hugged Regina and then opened the door. He left the house infront of Emma but Regina touched the sheriff's arm.  
"Emma?" The blonde turned back to her. She thought that maybe Regina wanted to thank her again but her face was very earnest, the thoughtful expression was back. "Do you know how dwarfs reproduce?" Regina asked and Emma looked at her with a comically shocked expression.  
"Ehm, I can't say that I do - or ever wanted to think about it," she answered and Regina smiled for a short moment.  
"Miss Swan," she scolded and Emma had to confess to herself that it was kind of sexy the way she said this. It wasn't her high and mighty I'm-in-charge persona Emma now got a glimpse of but somebody who could be playful. "Dwards actually breed their... well, not their young because dwarfs are never really young. They are bred in eggs from which they spring fully grown. As I understand it, there are a couple of days where they get accustomed to things but then they go straight to work in the mines. All they ever do is mining, and eating and sleeping. You know what they're mining, don't you, Emma?" Emma nodded.  
"Fairy dust."  
"Precisely. But... do you know the life span of a dwarf?" Emma could now see where this was leading, where the dark-haired woman was going with this.  
"It's not very long, is it?"  
"I don't have any numbers, we didn't concern ourselves with this kind of thing in Fairy Tale Land. Looking at it from... well, from the perspective of a mayor, I can only call it slave labor. The fairies use the dwarfs for this and the dwarfs don't know any other life. But here in Storybrooke they've become part of the community, they live their lives with friends - I'm not sure if there is any kind of... sexual intercourse with any of the other people in town but... well, the point I'm making is: they have started working in a mine under the city to do what they have always done: mine fairy dust." Regina gave Emma a meaningful look.  
"Which means they will probably... die. It's the price for the fairies magic,isn't it? And then there won't be any more dwarfs," Emma surmised and Regina nodded. That was when a snowball hit Emma in the chest. She looked up at a grinning Henry. "I will get you for this, kiddo!" she warned but he only laughed.  
"Are you coming?" He called and she held up ahand to tell him that she needed another moment.  
"I'm not saying this because I think we should start thinking of how to breed dwarfs, Emma. I'm more concerned about Leroy and his friends. I think they know what this means but they do what they've always done. It's what they were bred to do." Emma nodded.  
"I will talk to mom about this and then we should talk to Leroy and the others. If you asked me, life in Fairy Tale Land wasn't all sunshine and roses for most of the people living there." A cynical little laugh escaped Regina.  
"And you're only just finding that out now? Not everybody can be a princess or a prince, Emma, some people are little girls who get lost, others are mice that get turned into horses for one night. There are poor farmers, 'little people' who fight wars they hadn't started. I'm not sure if many people in this town would agree but I, for once, prefer life here. You have no idea what a luxury a central heating system is when you had been living in a drafty castle." Emma gave a small smile, she had seen the ruins of her parent's home and maybe it hadn't been all good. But that didn't mean that Regina had been right to cast a curse at all of them and take their lives from them, their happy endings. There should have been a choice in this, and she herself would have preferred to have had her parents around, two people who would have loved her, even if it meant living in a drafty castle.  
"Well, good night, Regina. Thank you for the wonderful dinner," Emma finally said.  
"Thank you for giving me the chance to... cook for you," Regina answered and they shared a little smile.  
'So weird,' the sheriff thought once again. For a second, she wondered if she should hug the woman, or just lay a hand on her arm, in some companionable gesture, or maybe an acknowledgement that they had shared a kiss but she remembered the magic and didn't want to freak Regina again. So, she stuffed her hands into the pockets of her jacket and just nodded at the ex-mayor.  
Emma trudged after Henry who stood at the gate waiting. They both turned and waved at Regina once before they set off down the street. Regina looked after them until they turned a corner and were gone. She felt a curious smile tug at her lips and she touched them once, softly.

As Emma and Henry made their way through the quiet streets of Storybrooke, Henry talked excitedly about his presents. Emma smiled, she had bought some cool gifts for her son as well and was looking forward to his excitement the next morning when he opened them. She also thought about Regina a little, and the things she had learned about magic, about dwarfs, about life.  
When they turned the corner at the diner, Emma was surprised to see the lights on at Granny's. She looked through the window and had to laugh. She pointed for Henry to follow her line of vision and he joined in her laughter. There were Snow White and Prince Charming, Granny, Ruby, and some other people, all assembled around a table that consisted of the many tables of the diner, and had Christmas dinner.  
"Come on, let's join them," Emma said.  
"I don't have to eat anymore, do I?" Henry made a face, he was just as stuffed as his mom and she shook her head.  
"Not if you don't want to, kid."  
"Good," he seemed relieved. Before they entered, Emma held Henry back by the shoulder, she had just remembered something:  
"Henry, about that kiss under the mistletoe..." Henry looked curiously up at his mom. "... we should probably not mention that."  
"Why not?" Henry asked and Emma flinched a little.  
"Well, it's... y'know, it's... your grandma would probably have a heart-attack, if she knew." Emma grinned and Henry answered in kind.  
"A secret?" He asked.  
"Yeah, a secret. I don't want you to think that it's bad, or anything, though. It's not. Just... your grandparents wouldn't understand."  
"They didn't have a tradition like that in Fairy Tale Land?" He wondered.  
"That's right, they didn't," Emma agreed and hugged her son. "I love you, you know?"  
Henry laughed.  
"I love you, too, mom." And this time Emma let a few tears fall, they were good tears, they were happy tears. And there really was no shame in being happy.


	2. New Year's in Storybrooke

Emma was nervously rubbing her hands on her jeans before she rang the bell. She took a step back, then turned and looked around. Then she turned back and her eyes met the mayor's head-on.  
"Regina," she said surprised because she hadn't heard the door open.  
"Emma," the dark-haired woman answered and a tiny smile appeared on her lips.  
"Hi," the sheriff said and bit her lip.  
"Henry's upstairs, I'll just call him. Won't you come in?" Regina opened the door wider and was about to turn and walk to the stairs to call Henry down, when Emma said:  
"Actually, I wanted to talk to you first... if that's okay?" Regina turned back to the nervous blonde, only now realizing that she seemed fidgety.  
"If this is about the kiss...," Regina started but Emma reacted so instantly and so perplexed at the mention of it that she stopped.  
"The kiss?" the blonde exclaimed next.  
"I'm sorry, I just... what did you want to talk about?" Regina tried to regain her equilibrium but felt stupid because she had thought... had thought often, as a matter of fact... about that kiss. And that Emma may have thought about it, too. And that they should talk about it at some point, in some way... but Emma obviously didn't share that sentiment.  
"Henry... of course," Emma answered Regina's question and they looked at each other for a moment. Somehow, this conversation felt strained. Not that this was at all a surprise to Emma, they had merely spent one nice evening together, one that was mostly awkward... still, she had hoped that talking to Regina might have gotten easier. Apparantly it hadn't. Apparantly they were still two women who were watching each other suspiciously because... things were complicated. They shared a son, they shared some bad memories... that was all. Nothing else was going on.  
But why did Regina even mention the kiss? A kiss Emma hadn't been able to forget yet, even though she had tried to.  
"Let's go into the kitchen. I was about to make some tea. Would you like a cup? Or would you maybe like some caocao?" Was she babbling, Regina wondered? Why was she nervous? She had known that Emma would come to the house today to get Henry. He'd spend the last couple of days with her, Emma had thought it would be a good idea and it had been a surprise. A pleasant one. But they hadn't really talked since Christmas, and now Emma wanted to talk about Henry. Was this a good sign? Regina wasn't sure and she was weary of the answer.  
"Nothing for me, thank you," Emma said and Regina nodded as they walked into the kitchen. They sat down at the island and Regina looked at Emma expectantly - and a little fearful.  
Emma pulled a couple of pages from her inside jacket pocket and unfolded them.  
"I was talking to Gold the other day... about some legal business. He drew this up for me and I... I wanted to know your thoughts on... see, I think we should... I hope we can make this... pact or even a legally binding compromise. Henry needs us - both of us and..."  
"Miss Swan?" Regina lifted an eyebrow at the sheriff's stuttering.  
"I thought we should share custody of our son. This is not legally binding, of course, Gold is not a lawyer... legally but... maybe we could still agree on this?" She pushed the pages at Regina but the dark-haired woman simply stared at her.  
"Joined custody?" She asked and Emma nodded, not at all sure how the other woman would react and half expecting her to throw fireballs at her.  
She didn't. Regina made her hand work and take the papers Emma was still holding. She put them on the kitchen island and smoothed them out on it. She was still too perplexed to actually read what had been written on them, her heart was beating violently in her chest.  
Regina knew that Emma had no right to Henry - legally. But she came from a world where people believed that children should be raised by the most fitting person, the mother. If the mother was dead, it was the father. If the child was an orphan another relative would have to be found. If the child was all alone in the world a godmother would raise it and so forth. As long as it was someone loving and caring and... good. And that was exactly what Regina wasn't. No one in the Enchanted Forest would entrust their child into her care - no way, no how. So while the laws of the country they lived in clearly stated that she was Henry's mother, the laws of the community she was part of would never let her even get near a child... the dilemma of Storybrooke. She had given up hope that she could live here and be Henry's mother and yet she also knew that she would never be able to just take him and live somewhere else. He would hate her forever.  
And now here was Emma Swan, the savior, the woman to rid everyone of the evil curse... and she was offering Regina... a second chance.  
Regina's eyes filled with tears as she sat over the papers Emma had given her. She couldn't see anything that was written there, she could hardly focus her thoughts enough to calm her heart.  
"Regina?" Emma asked after a while. She reached out her hand but the dark-haired woman lifted her own to ward of any touch. Emma let her hand sink back to her thigh.  
"Why are you doing this?" Regina asked in a small and emotionally strained voice.  
"Because it's what's best for Henry," Emma answered honestly and Regina looked up and into her eyes. They both stared in disbelief, Regina at Emma's words, Emma at the tears in Regina's eyes, on her cheeks.  
The older woman frowned, then looked back at the papers on the table.  
"Is this a trick?" she asked.  
"No, no trick, just... I'm trying to do the right thing."  
Regina smiled a little cynically.  
"Of course. You're truly your mother's daughter. What does she think of this?" she asked Emma.  
"She doesn't know... yet," Emma answered, again very honestly, and Regina looked up at her.  
"You haven't told her? I'm pretty sure she would have some motherly advice on this... mainly, not to do it."  
"Henry's our son, not my mother's. We have to decide what's best for him," Emma said with conviction. "Would you read those and... tell me what you think. You can talk to Gold about them, of course, or have a lawyer look at them, I guess... let's just... be civil about it, okay?"  
"Why are you doing this?" Regina repeated her question.  
"I told you..."  
"I heard what you said, I just... have a hard time believing that you actually feel this way. People have agendas, Emma, all people do. What is yours?"  
"To have a happy son. A son who sees the good in people, a son who believes that people can change for the better... I believe those things, Regina." Emma said and looked intently at the other woman.  
There was something else. Regina could see it in Emma's eyes but she wasn't about to comment on it. Commenting on it would mean acknowledging that it was there. That... magic-thing that was happening between them, the reason Regina had not let Emma touch her, comfort her.  
Regina took the papers from the kitchen island and folded them.  
"I will read them over and come back to you," she then said.  
"Good," Emma nodded but didn't dare smile, even though she felt like they had made some sort of progress. It was fragile, though. Everything about them was and she was weary that it should crumble and bury her beneath the mass of thoughts and feelings she'd had since Christmas.  
"You're already here," they both heard a voice from the doorway to the kitchen and turned. Henry stood there, looking questioningly at the two women. They seemed very earnest, severe even.  
"Hey, kid," Emma greeted the boy and smiled. He came over and hugged her. "You ready to head back to the Charming residence?"  
"Ahhhh... actually, I... the meterologists have promised a clear sky tonight and I wanted to look at the some stuff, I couldn't the last few days with all the clouds and snow. Do you think we could stay here, have dinner together and go back to grandma's after the fireworks?" Henry asked, his eyes shining with enthusiasm of whatever he hoped to see in the night sky.  
"We can't just impose on Regina like that," Emma said but she turned to look at the brunette to see how she felt about this.  
"I wouldn't mind the company," Regina said quickly and both women chose to interpret it as her eagerness to be with her son, not Emma.  
"Well, if you're sure."  
"Quite sure," Regina ensured the blonde and they smiled at each other.  
"Let me just check with Snow," Emma said and pulled her phone from her jacket pocket. She dialled while leaving the kitchen.

"Hey, where are you? Your father is already waiting impatiently for Henry to start that rematch of Monopoly," Snow greeted her. Emma could hear the smile in the other woman's voice and she grimaced guiltily.  
"Ah, yeah, well... Henry would like to stay here, just for today. You know how he's got that telescope and he wants to look at something tonight because there won't be any clouds... we thought we'd stay here until the fireworks and then we can all meet up at the library... if that's okay with you?" She made it sound like a question even though she had already decided that's what they would do. She felt bad about it, too, but this was one more of those things she was doing for Henry and she could almost convince herself that she was doing it only for him.  
"Oh," Snow said and the disappointment in her voice started gnawing at Emma's conscience immediately. "I was planning on dinner for the whole family. Can't Henry just bring his telescope and look at the sky from here?"  
"I don't think you can just pack something like that up and... it's a sensitive thing... I don't really know, it's all set up here and...," Emma sighed. "He really wants to stay for just a few more hours, mom."  
"Regina's working her magic," Snow said.  
"What's that supposed to mean?" Emma gave back sharper than she had intended to and the silence that answered her question reflected on that. "I'm sorry, I... what did you mean by that?"  
"I think she's manipulating him into wanting to stay. She does things like that, Emma. Expensive gifts, nice food. She's..."  
"Being a mom, mom," Emma interrupted Snow and another long silence was her answer.  
"Since when are you defending Regina?"  
"She's trying to change and I'm trying to give her the benefit of the doubt or... a second chance," Emma said.  
"She's had second chances, Emma, and thirds. We tried..."  
"That was in the Enchanted Forest, right? That's between you and her, not me. I'm trying to do what's best for Henry here, and... for his sake I have to try to get along with Regina." It sounded fake to her own ears, trying to get along. This wasn't what all this was about and she knew it. This was about getting worked on by that magic herself, to feel something...   
"I know and... I'm sorry, Emma. This isn't easy. I feel like she's taking something away... time with you and Henry. And... if it wasn't for her, we would have had so much more time with you." Emma could hear the sadness in her mother's words, the regret about all the years they'd missed. She had her own regrets about these years, she had her own issues with what her parents had done and couldn't raise the compassion for her mother's right now.  
"We'll watch the fireworks together, okay?"  
"Of course," Snow said trying to sound cheerful again. "Leroy says it's going to be spectacular."  
"I'm sure it will be," Emma answered with the same fake enthusiasm.  
"Give Henry a kiss from us, okay?"  
"Will do."  
"And... just be careful with Regina, okay? I don't trust her," Snow felt the need to add and Emma rolled her eyes.  
"I know you don't but I'm trying to, mom. Let's just... try and see this through, one day at a time. Things are different now," she asked of her mother and could hear the doubt in the silence that followed her request. "Mom?"  
"I will try, Emma. For Henry's sake," Snow promised but somehow Emma thought that this might prove too difficult for her parents to do. She shrugged her shoulders. She would do her own best to get along with Regina, to see who was really behind 'the evil queen.' She felt that she wanted to know.  
"Thank you, mom. I'll have to go. Give dad a hug and we'll see you at the fireworks," Emma said quickly.  
"We'll see you there," Snow answered and Emma disconnected. She sighed as she looked at her phone. Things were about to get messy, she contemplated.

When Emma came back into the kitchen, Henry was nowhere in sight; Regina was alone.  
"Where's the kid?"  
"Henry," Regina enunciated and Emma smirked. "is upstairs. He said something about you helping me make dinner since you gotta learn someday." Now it was Regina who smirked as Emma looked on incredulously.  
"He said that?" Regina nodded.  
"The little... fiend. Just to punish him you should let me cook," she suggested and they smiled at each other.  
"That would be punishing all of us," Regina said and Emma tried to huff indignantly - and failed. They burst out laughing.  
"Okay, you're not wrong... I just never learned." Emma said. She wasn't sure why she added what she said next but it ruined the good mood completely. "I didn't have a mother to teach me."  
They looked at each other.  
"Are you expecting me to apologize for being the evil queen, Emma? Because that's not going to happen," Regina told the younger woman.  
"That's not what... don't you regret anything you did back then?" Emma leaned against the kitchen island and folded her arms over her chest. Regina looked at her, she seemed to think about the question or a possible answer.  
"Our world is very different from this one, Emma. In order to have a hero you have to have a villain. The Enchanted Forest doesn't deal in shades of gray, it's black or white. I couldn't be white, not after what happened to Daniel, so I became black. The order of things demanded it. It's different here, more complicated, I guess. Redemption seems possible but... only in little steps and there's always the chance that some people won't believe that you've changed. They will forever mistrust you... mistrust me," Regina clarified.  
"That doesn't answer my question," Emma said.  
"What did Snow say about you staying here for dinner... again?"  
"Well, she had other plans but... I told her it was for Henry," Emma answered but not completely truthfully.  
"And she simply accepted that?"  
Emma looked at Regina, at the challenge in her eyes and had to agree with the other woman's assessment... and maybe that did answer her question. Where there was no redemption there couldn't be any regret. This would also mean that if Regina didn't believe in it now she would consequently fall back on old habits.  
"I trust you," Emma said and Regina lifted an eyebrow at her. "I trust you to do the right thing."  
"Maybe for now, you should start with trusting me not to poison your food," Regina quipped but Emma shook her head. She took a step toward Regina and grabbed her arm, not forcefully but surprisingly firm. Regina looked down at where Emma touched her and then up into her eyes. Their green seemed to have turned determined.  
"I trust you to do the right thing," she repeated.  
There was no magic this time, but the air was thick with tension as their eyes stayed locked onto each other. Time simply passed but it didn't matter, they had completely dove into each other and what Emma had said, what it all meant.  
"All right," Regina finally uttered in a low voice, unsure, cracked. Emma let go of the other woman's arm and turned toward the island, she leaned on both hands as Regina took a step back. "We should probably start with dinner."  
"Okay. What do I do?"  
"Peel potatoes," Regina said, her voice more forceful than she had wanted it to be.  
"Is that all you're ever gonna let me do?"  
"It's the first thing you got to learn," Regina gave back and pointed at a bag of the vegetable. Emma nodded and they set to work on their respective chores.

"I talked to mom about the dwarfs," Emma mentioned at some point during the cooking lesson she was getting. Regina looked up from stirring the sauce, confused for the moment. "About what we talked about on Christmas," Emma explained and Regina nodded.  
"What did she say?"  
"She's going to talk to Leroy about it and probably also to mother... to the blue fairy. She's trying to be diplomatic about it, I guess," Emma said.  
"That's just like her," Regina commented, adding some port to the dark sauce she was stirring. "You add wine for flavor but it doesn't have to be an expensive one. This is a good one and you can add a little more. Not too much, though, a healthy sip." Emma nodded to the instruction.  
"What would you have done? In Snow's stead, I mean."  
"Well, I'm kind of stll the mayor. I would have called a meeting with everyone involved, the dwarfs, the fairies, possibly your parents since everybody seems to see them as their leaders. I would have presented my... our theory and then I would have let them talk it through. Nothing concrete would have been decided on because these people never come to any kind of solution when this world clashes with their own world... so I would have decided in the end. I'm glad I don't have to sit through hours of that useless talk, actually," Regina said and smiled sweetly at Emma.  
"You don't have a very high opinion of anybody here, do you?"  
Regina turned the heat under the sauce to low and stared into it a little. Then she looked back at the blonde.  
"I cursed all the people who'd ever crossed me, all the people I thought deserved to be punished. In the last 28 years, I found that some of these people have more sense than I thought they had, Archie, for example. Leroy, as loyal as he is to your mother, has some sense and certainly some organizing skills, that's why he's been responsible for the fireworks all these years. Snow is... consistent and I trusted her to teach Henry things I couldn't. A sense for what is right, for example. They do have their special skills but running a town is not one of them. Going against their traditions and beliefs, making the tough decisions isn't in their power. That's what I'm here for," Regina explained.  
"So what would you decide on behalf of the dwarfs?" Emma asked and Regina thought about it.  
"I'm not sure...from the top of my head, I would probably stop the mining until we know more about the effect it has on the lifespan of the dwarfs. Of course, everyone would be convinced I did that to have a sort of monopoly on magic... I would probably talk to Doc to see what he knows about it all, the blue fairy as well, make estimates... whatever needs to be done. In the end, it would probably come down to the question of how dedicated the dwarfs are to what they'd been bred to do, how much they want to live a normal life like everyone else in Storybrooke... I don't see that there's anybody else who would be willing to do their job... we would have to talk about wages, working hours, all boring organisational stuff..."  
"You wouldn't shut the mine down, though, would you?"  
"Not if the people of Storybrooke feel that they need it. Magic... is power, especially when there's so little to be had. Gold has it, I have it, you have it... and the fairies if they can acquire fairy dust. That's it. With Gold as the dark one, and me the evil queen, the fairies would balance the power between good and evil..."  
"But you're not doing any magic anymore," Emma reasoned.  
"As far as you know, as far as I can... keep myself from doing it. But I don't think everyone believes that. So... they will probably decide that the mining is a necessary evil but they will cut back on it as much as possible."  
Emma leaned against the kitchen island, her arms folded in front of her chest. She thought about it.  
"Politics... I never understood the appeal. If it's killing them, it should be stopped," she said.  
"That's what some people say about smoking but you can't force anyone to live a healthy life."  
"That's hardly the same thing," Emma argued.  
"It's a good analogy," Regina insisted and they stared at each other. "You could always make yourself heard, Emma. You can talk to your mom, to the dwarfs and the fairies. They will listen to you, you're the savior."  
Regina laid her hand on Emma's arm, squeezing it. They both seemed to become aware that this was the first time she had ever initiated a touch between them as they both stared at the hand that was comforting Emma. The blonde held her breath, hoping that it would never end but Regina took her hand away quickly.  
"I'll get Henry. He should at least set the table," she then said and left the kitchen.  
Emma looked after her, her breathing erratic as her heart beat a mile a minute. Was this even real? Why did she feel like this all of a sudden? Regina made her absolutely breathless and yet... it was so natural to talk to her, to exchange ideas. The excitement she felt about even the most basic of conversations, it was ridiculous. Talking to the other woman, being near her, it all mesmerized her. And she wanted more of it, more of other things she could not possibly get or wish for, ask for. It was impossible but it was also impossible for Emma not to want it all.

They had dinner together and cleaned the kitchen again. Emma tried to not let herself get lured into the domesticity of it all again and by the way Regina kept a noticable physical distance she was trying the same. Henry, however, seemed to enjoy having both of them around and he talked about all kinds of things. They had rarely seen their son so animated and he asked some questions that seemed entirely designed for the two women to get to know each other without having to ask these things themselves. Emma had a suspicion about all this but would Henry actually plot for them both... for them all to become a family?  
It was strange to think about it all this way. Not so strange, obviously, to want it. Not for Henry, at least, because he seemed perfectly happy having them both around, being able to talk, teasing them both about some things the other couldn't possibly know. And Emma started to wonder whether she would want something like this, too. A family, this family? Never mind the impossibility of it, but was this actually something she wanted? A son, a wife, a house...  
She had never thought about settling down with any of her lovers, not even Henry's father. They hadn't let that kind of life, they had lived from day to day, she'd always lived like that. Permanance was for people who grew up in it and she hadn't. And this... all of it, the food, the conversation, the beautiful woman across from her, these things were almost too perfect to be achievable. All magic came at a price and a life like this would, too, Emma was convinced. But what was there to give up that she hadn't already left behind - her life in Boston was like a distant dream, she wasn't a bounty hunter anymore. She was a sheriff in the town her parents lived in, her son lived in, she had already settled more than she had ever felt herself capable of.   
'Welcome to your new life, Emma Swan, you have changed, just in case you haven't noticed,' a quiz-mastery voice in her head said and Emma blinked rapidly to shake it lose.  
"Emma?" Regina said as she noticed the confusion on the other woman's face. They were sitting at the dining room table, Henry was just getting up to take some dishes into the kitchen.  
"Yes?"  
"Are you all right?" the dark-haired woman asked, not even sure if she wanted to know the answer. Her own mind had wandered during dinner, not too far since Henry kept playing twenty questions with both of them, but to some weird places. Emma looked a little like that had happened to her, too.  
"Yeah, just... thought of something strange."  
"Maybe we should cut back on the wine," Regina suggested and Emma was surprised that the other woman included herself in this, too. It was ridiculous to think that Regina might have had some of the same thoughts she herself had had and yet... no, it was impossible. Emma shook her head.  
"I guess," Emma agreed and they both got up to help Henry clean the table and then the kitchen. They filled the dishwasher together.  
"I'm going back upstairs," Henry told them as they just finished.  
"Hey, whoa, don't you wanna... we could play some game, maybe? An actual board game?" Emma held onto Henry's shoulder before he had a chance to run out of the kitchen.  
"But I wanted to look at the stars some more," Henry said.  
"I'm sure there's nothing up there that won't be there next week, Henry," Regina argued with a slight smile but it didn't seem quite as relaxed as she wasnted it to be.  
In truth, she was desperate not to be alone with Emma Swan anymore. She felt that things were happening without them having any control over it, at least, she didn't have any control. And that was unacceptable, and quite frightening, too.  
"Just another hour, mom? Ma?" He turned from one of his mothers to the other and they looked at him and then at each other, only to quickly focus their attention back to their son.  
"Half an hour and then you will come down. Bring one of your games, okay?" Regina finally said and Henry made a face.  
"Okay," he agreed.  
"Hey, it's New Year's Eve. Is it too much to ask that you spend it with your two old moms?" Emma took offense at the lack of enthusiasm.  
"I'm not old," Regina informed the blonde.  
"I didn't mean... I..." Emma stuttered then saw the mischievious glint in Regina's eyes. "You ARE evil," she accused.  
"Welcome to Storybrooke, Miss Swan," Regina gave back and grinned.   
And it happened again: they stared at each other. Just like that, Regina lost control and when she became aware that she was losing grip of reality while staring into the green of Emma's eyes, she shook her head irritatedly.  
"Half an hour," she told Henry sternly and he took a step back. Then he quickly left the kitchen and they heard him run up the stairs, taking two steps at a time.  
"Hen...," Regina started but the boy was already out of earshot. She closed her eyes.  
"It's been a long day," Emma said.  
"It's been a long... quarter of a century," the dark-haired woman countered. She went by Emma and also left the kitchen. Emma followed as they made their way to the living room and sat down in front of the fireplace. Regina made a motion toward it and flames shot up for a second then settled into a warming fire. Emma looked at the other woman in surprise but Regina seemed deep in thought. She hadn't even realized that she'd used magic, it seemed. Then she looked up at the blonde in recognition.  
"I...," she started but met only understanding and not accusation in her companion's eyes. She shook her head. "I didn't even think," she said and hung her head.  
"I trust that this doesn't happen very often... you not thinking?" Regina shook her head. "Then it's okay. Let yourself off the hook," Emma suggested.  
"That's an awefully lenient policy you follow. I can't afford that, Emma. I could lose my son," Regina said and her eyes bored into Emma's like a laser. They seemed cool and hard but then they simply melted into the creamy caramel of their color.  
"He won't condemn you because you lit a fire, nobody would," Emma reasoned.  
"Old habits indeed die hard. I'm trying but it's... difficult, to say the least. And it's probably going to get even harder. I'm always thinking about what will happen when people realize that I'm not going to use magic against them. Will they want to take revenge? Will they... lock me away? Or maybe... force me to... take them all back?"  
Emma didn't answer, she couldn't. She knew some of these people Regina was talking about, most of them, probably, but not as well that she could form an answer. Instead she asked her own question:  
"Is that even possible? For everyone to leave here again and go back to... wherever they came from?"  
"If the curse is... destroyed, I guess... I'm not even sure. There's only one person who could answer it and I'm not sure he would if you asked him."  
"Gold?" Regina nodded. "You don't want to go back, do you?"  
"I couldn't take Henry with me. He was born here," Regina said.  
"I wasn't. Would I be going back to the Enchanted Forest as well?"  
"If you were within city limits, I guess. But you can leave so... I can't believe I'm telling you this. It would be the perfect way to get rid of me and... have Henry for yourself." Regina shook her head but then locked onto Emma's eyes.  
"I would also lose my parents again," Emma said. "And... a steady job, friends..."  
"And yet you would have Henry... all for yourself," Regina reasoned.  
"You could leave Storybrooke. You could have left the moment you knew who I was and yet you didn't. Why?"  
Regina shook her head as if she had never thought about it. Then she shrugged:  
"You can't just leave a cursed town lying somewhere. People could... find out... things could go awefully wrong. All magic... and all that. Somebody's got to be responsible and for this town, that's me."  
"You love it here, don't you?" Emma asked and Regina looked at her quizzically.  
"Love it here? Emma... these people hate me, they are the most annoying, the most aggrevating people I have ever met."  
"And yet you brought them all here to live with them..."  
"To see them live a miserable life," Regina corrected.  
"Forever? That was your idea of your own happiness? I don't think so. I think you wanted something else, another chance, maybe. A go at a different life where people would respect you, cherish you in a way, look up to you. You wanted them to forget who you were... maybe so you could forget yourself," Emma said and she seemed quite convinced. Regina wasn't, she shook her head no.  
"Don't fool yourself in beleiving that, Emma. I wanted people to suffer," she told the blonde plainly.  
"I think you wanted your own suffering to end and there's a difference."  
"I hope you're not trying to sell this theory to your mother, she might abandon you again," the dark-haired woman quipped but neither thought it funny. And Regina realized that it might actually have been hurtful and that she had maybe meant it to be. "I'm sorry," she said.  
"I know," Emma answered and gave a slight smile.  
"You're such a know-it-all, aren't you?"  
"I know that people are willing to do desperate things when they feel cornered, when they're miserable, when they're scared. I once searched for a woman whose husband talked a pretty good game of loving her and wanting her back. I found her and she told me the story of how he was abusive and kept her locked up... in the end, I helped her fake her own death just to escape him. It was dangerous but she had run out of options. I went back to the husband and told him that I'd seen her car run over a cliff. And I had to be sincere in my condolences and not have him find out that I knew the kind of scumbag he was... and then I had to evade him politely when he asked me out...," Emma shook her head at the memory. "I think you were lonely," she ended with her theory about Regina.  
The older woman didn't laugh it off, she didn't even shake her head anymore and Emma added:  
"I think you're still lonely sometimes."  
"Aren't we all... sometimes?"  
"I guess," Emma contemplated.  
"You mean, you're not?"  
Emma smiled but it didn't reach her eyes. She leaned back and looked up at the ceiling aginst which the light of the fire flickered.  
"I used to... meet people when I lived in Boston," she said vaguely.  
"Are we talking about... physical encounters?"  
"I'm talking about sex," Emma gave back and looked directly at Regina, a provocation certainly.  
"I'm talking about an emotional connection," Regina said. "I didn't curse everyone because I wasn't... getting any, if you excuse the crudeness of the phrase."  
"I didn't mean to imply that, I... was talking about now, about..."  
"How I need to get laid?" Regina's eyes blazed at Emma in anger.  
"I didn't mean... I'm sorry... I didn't mean to get all personal." Emma raised her hands in apology. She also blushed.  
"We're so not ever going to talk about that, Emma. I don't care what you do or did with people... but my private life is private," Regina told her.  
"None of my business," Emma seemed to agree but there was a note of... regret, maybe? bitterness?... in the words and they both heard it. They both chose not to interpret it.

Henry came down a short while later, a while in which his mothers had just sat and thought about what had been said. This whole day had turned strange and emotionally tumultuous and neither had been prepared for it. Henry simply ignored the tension between his mothers, there had always been some of that anyways. They played an enjoyable game of 'Clue' which Regina won. And then they turned to 'Taboo' and Henry had a ball with how tongue-tied his mothers got, how they teased, how they competed and yet lost to the youngster. They actually laughed together, all earlier words not forgotten but put on hold.  
And suddenly they were like a family again, drinking cider in a room with a blazing fire, the Christmas tree still standing in one corner, its lights eluminating the scene. It was cosy yet somehow also exciting because it was so rare. And they all felt it. Maybe Emma and Regina had some sense of fighting it but they gave up when they saw how happy Henry was, how happy the other woman was, too. It wasn't wrong to feel this, surely? For once... just one evening before they would go back to being... acquaintances, or something.  
The clock neared midnight and they gave up playing to watch some New Year's program from New York. Emma told the other two of her short time there, of some culture she had enjoyed. They talked about places, Emma had visited, then Regina told about the time she had been in Wonderland. Emma rolled her eyes as she could most certainly not trump a place like that. Regina grinned at her knowingly. It was all so easy just being together when they didn't have to think about what it possibly meant.  
And then it was midnight. The cheers from the tv drowned out the chiming of the library clock and Henry jumped up to hug both his mothers and get kissed by them in turn.  
"Now you have to kiss," he said and grinned up at them. The women looked at each other. "It's bad luck not to," he insisted and the women had to smile. It losened the tension just enough for them to be able to step a little closer to each other, to lean forward, to not even be aware that Henry turned to the window to look at the fireworks that were just now starting. And they kissed.  
And then they were unable to stop. Their lips simply insisted on having to get to know each other better. Emma lifted her hand to Regina's cheek, caressing it and her while their lips languidly explored. And it felt good, and it felt right and then suddenly there was a 'pop' that drove them apart - just their lips - and they found themselves in a cloud of that purple magic-stuff again.  
"What...?" Regina started, holding onto Emma as she swooned a little.  
"... just happened?" Emma completed the question and they looked at each other, holding onto each other in order to not fall. Then they looked around self-consciously at Henry who stood at the window, watching the fireworks.  
"Look at that," he exclaimed and looked back at his mothers who instantly let go of each other.  
"We should... get going, Henry. Let's go to the library and meet the folks," Emma said and Henry jumped up instantly. He smiled at the two women as he went by them and it was a knowing smile. Of course he had seen what had happened but he had the decency to at least not comment on it but ducked out of the room.  
"That can't ever happen again," Regina said.  
"The kissing or the magic?" Emma tried to joke.  
"Either," Regina exclaimed.  
"Regina..."  
"No, there's... it's not going to happen again, Miss Swan, ever," she put it plainly and her voice didn't allow for any discussion.  
"A shame, you're a good kisser," Emma answered and then followed her son.  
Regina stared after Emma indignantly. Did she really mean that? Was she serious? Didn't she understand how... wrong all this was? She had to. Did she just not care? Thoughts like these ran through Regina's mind but she forced herself to shut them down to some white noise background and follow Henry and Emma who were already waiting for her.  
"Maybe you two should go alone, nobody wants me there anyway," she said as they both looked so expectantly.  
"I want you there," Henry said.  
"You organized the whole thing, it's only fair that you should enjoy it," Emma argued and Regina felt unable to insist on her standpoint. She felt... weakened, was the best word to describe it. The day since Emma had arrived had drained her of resistance and maybe that was why that kiss had happened. She wouldn't have possibly let it if she had been on top of her game... surely. And it had been Henry's idea and Emma was the one who had... pulled them together so insistantly.  
Regina's head swam as she pulled on her coat and her gloves and they all left the mansion for the town's library where everybody seemed already assembled watching the fireworks.


	3. St. Valentine's Surprise

Ruby Lucas knew a lot about the people of Storybrooke. This wasn't only due to her overhearing conversations while serving food, Ruby had a number of heightened senses that told her a lot more than words could. This was especially true for her sense of smell. She often smelled a customer before they entered her establishment, and that wasn't just true for the occasional hard-working man or dwarf who came in. Everybody had their very distinct mix of smells - sweat, soap, shampoo, perfume, after shave. Ruby could smell it all. And more.  
Something Ruby had never told anyone and hadn't even discussed with Granny was the embarrassing fact that she knew who people... liked,. In a very intimate way. She could, for example, say that one of the dwarfs had an intimate relationship with the widowed mother of three down the street. Or that her best friend was a very satisfied woman, or that her daughter had a very serious crush. While most of these little stories, as embarrassing as they were at times for Ruby, were not very surprising, that last fact hat thrown Ruby for a loop.  
She had noticed Emma's erratic heartbeat just before Christmas. She had looked up from her place at the counter one late afternoon and Emma had been sitting in her usual booth talking to... the mayor. It had been about Henry, Regina had given Emma a list with things he liked to eat. Just a regular conversation but Emma's heart had been beating just a little faster than usual, and she had transpirated, too.  
Ruby had thought that maybe Emma wasn't as cool as she always pretended and that maybe she was just a little afraid of the evil queen, too. She had dismissed it. Only, after Christmas, she had detected the same thing happening with the mayor. Erratic heartbeat, transpiration but it only happened on those days that sheriff and mayor were both at the diner. It was certainly curious and Ruby had started to pay special attention to the two women.  
After New Year's things seemed to heat up for a while. Ruby noticed dilated pupils when they looked at each other and the fact that they did look at each other across the the room. It actually made the waitress a little dizzy, the tension between the blonde and the brunette seemed so palpable she wondered why nobody else saw it, or felt it even. But not even Granny had noticed it.  
And Ruby wondered, and Ruby worried. Could the savior actually have feelings for the evil queen? Was that even possible? It certainly wasn't advisable. And what about Snow? She didn't seem aware of what was going on... and what was really going on? Sexual attraction? Certainly, from the way they stared at each other. But feelings? The erratic heartbeat could point to that but it could be mere... arousal.  
But then things had cooled down in the last month. There was still the residual transpiration, some looks but by February these things were so normal for Ruby that she didn't even look up anymore. She just knew when the sheriff and the mayor were both in the room, just the way she knew when Charming was coming into the door and Snow had already been waiting for him.  
And then came St. Valentine's Day...

"Sooo, what do you and dad have planned for tonight?" Emma asked her mother over a late breakfast at the diner. "And do Henry and I need to clear out of the apartment for that?" she added with a wink.  
Snow laughed.  
"No, you actually got the place to yourself today because... your father has planned a whole day - and night, of course - just for us. I don't know where he takes me but... don't wait up for us."  
"Aw, that's so sweet," Emma cooed and then stopped herself just in time to save her reputation from Ruby overhearing her as she served the two women their pancakes.  
"Thanks, Ruby. It looks good, as always," Emma told the dark-haired woman who smiled.  
"I talked Granny into making these 'specially for Valentine's Day," Ruby answered pointing at the heart-shaped breakfast treats.  
"Aww, that's so precious," Snow said and took a bite. "They taste like pure love, too." She then added and they all laughed.  
"I'm gonna tell Granny," Ruby promised and was about to go back to pick up more breakfast orders when she smelled... a very agitated mayor and looked at the door where the woman just made her appearance.  
"Uh-oh," was the extend of warning she could give her friends when Regina spotted Emma and stalked over.  
"I need to talk to you. Outside!" It was clear that she could barely reign in her temper and several people looked around themselves for the best escape route should the mayor start throwing fireballs.  
"Excuse me, but I am having breakfast with my daughter. You might wanna check that attitude at the door next time," Snow answered Regina with a meaningful look toward Emma. But Emma wasn't looking at her mother, neither was Regina. They stared at each other.  
"Now, if you please," the dark-haired woman merely said to the sheriff and turned on her heel. She stalked out of the diner and people actually exhaled in relieve. Emma, meanwhile, rose from her seat.  
"Emma?"  
"Sorry, mom. It's probably about Henry." But somehow Emma didn't really think that it was about him.  
Regina and Emma had come to an agreement about raising their son together. They had signed a joined custody agreement and were now parenting the boy alternating weeks at a time. It was working. While they rarely spoke and never shared a moment just like the ones on Christmas and New Year's, they remained amiable and friendly. Except at those times when Emma was watching those legs, or the blazing heat from Regina's eyes, the soft curves inside the confines of a power suit. To say, there was nothing going on between them would be a lie, to say, that there was anything actually going on, would be just as wrong.  
Emma didn't know what this renewed aggression on Regina's side was about but she wasn't aware of any kind of lack in parental care she could have made so she just assumed that this was about their 'something-and-nothing-thing.' And she really didn't want anyone inside that diner to know about that, especially not her mother. That was why she followed Regina outside and was facing her a few short moments later in front of Granny's.  
Regina had her back toward her, her breathing was coming in bursts and she was bent over slightly, her hands on her hips.  
"Are you okay?" Emma asked concerned but Regina threw her such a scolding look over her shoulder that she didn't dare come near.  
"No, I'm not okay," Regina answered and now that Emma had a better look at her she could see that Regina's skin had a greenish tint to it.  
"Maybe you should..."  
"Don't tell me what to do, this is all your fault!" Regina yelled at her and Emma took a step back. She looked back at the diner and saw several curious faces looking out at them. Regina seemed to become aware of them at the same time as she waved her hand over her head and all sound was sucked from their surrounding. Emma put her hands to her ears, the complete silence seemed to hurt them somehow.  
"What did you do? Was that magic?"  
"I gave us some privacy. I don't want anyone to hear this." Regina turned fully to Emma now and Emma expected a full-blown attack this time. She took another step back.  
But nothing happened - no fireballs, no thunderbolts, not even a harsh word. Regina just looked at her for a long moment.  
"What is wrong?" Emma asked.  
"I'm... I'm pregnant." It came forth like a confession bur from the look on the mayor's face it might have been a curse. She didn't look happy and Emma didn't feel very happy at this moment either. It had actually hit her like a kick in the stomach.  
Pregnant... Regina was... pregnant. And there went all the silly romantic notions she had tried so hard to suppress since they had shared that kiss on New Year's. There went all the lusty dreams she hadn't been able to suppress, either. Regina had a man - and he had obviously given Regina something Emma could never give her.  
"Did you hear what I said?" Regina's voice interrupted her inner thoughts and they sounded impatient.  
"Yes, I... congratulations," Emma answered and tried a smile that wasn't convincing.  
"Is that all you got to say?"  
"What do you expect me to say? I mean... Henry's gonna have a sibling, that's great, right?"  
"No," Regina said. "That's a disaster! And... what were you thinking?"  
"What was I thinking? Regina, you're the one with..."  
"What were you thinking that night, New Year's?" Regina specified her question but Emma looked back at her confused.  
"I don't... what?"  
"When we... when you kissed me, what exactly were you thinking?"  
Emma found this a rather odd question but then she thought back and... blushed furiously.  
"Emma!" Regina ground out in a threatening tone. "WHAT have you done?"  
"I... nothing. I... just," the sheriff stammered.  
"Tell me!" It was clear from her stance, from her voice that she wouldn't accept Emma refusing to answer.  
The blonde shuffled her feet, looking down at them with a slight pout.  
"I... I may have thought... I mean, it wasn't my fault, okay? It was just so nice... having dinner, being together as a family and... you looked... hot!" Emma took a deep breath before she blurted out:  
"When we kissed I thought about making another baby with you."  
For the longest moment there was no answer, just silence, and Emma dared looking up again.  
Regina looked puzzled.  
"Let me get this straight... so to speak," she finally said. "You thought about having sex with me?"  
"Well... yeah," Emma said guiltily and blushed again.  
"But you... thought about it... in those terms, that we were... making a baby?"  
Emma nodded.  
"It was so nice... kinda being a family and... I thought it would be amazing if we could... make another child between the two of us. But... I mean, that was just... idle thought. It doesn't mean any..."  
"I can't believe this!" Regina exclaimed. "Are you actually this stupid, Miss Swan?!"  
"I'm not..."  
"New Year's kiss, two people with considerate magical powers and you wishing to make a baby with me?! What does that SPELL to you, sheriff?! Regina yelled at Emma again.  
"Spell?" the blonde repeated the word that had been practically spat at her. "You mean, we... you mean, I... we... I knocked you up?! With magic?"  
The wonder on Emma's face was almost endearing but then she frowned.  
"Are you sure... it was me?" she asked.  
"Am I sure? For your information, the last time I had sex with a man was with Sheriff Graham, and as you very well know, he hasn't been around for a while," Regina answered cooly.  
"I'm sorry, it's just so... that is actually my child in there?" Emma was pointing at the other woman's abdomen.  
"Stop pointing, those idiots watching us might actually be able to read sign language."  
Emma pushed her hand into her pockets but kept staring at Regina's middle.  
"You're not gonna see anything yet, either, so stop staring," the dark-haired woman snapped.  
Emma looked up into the angry dark eyes of the mayor.  
"You don't want the baby?" she asked suddenly afraid that this miracle would come to a sudden halt.  
"It's not a question of wanting, Emma... I was told... when I was married to Leopold, I was told that I wouldn't even be able to have children... to bear a child. And now... I'm pregnant!" she burst out and Emma could now plainly see that Regina was afraid, in panic actually.  
"I'm gonna help... I mean, we're gonna raise it together - just like Henry," she heard herself say.  
"Just like Henry? No... this is not gonna be like it is with Henry... this little girl... she's mine. She will live in my house and I'm gonna raise her. You're not gonna take her away from me!" Regina put her arms around her middle, looking at Emma defiantly.  
"Calm down, please. We can talk about this..."  
"No. I'm not gonna let you take her, not this time." Regina waved her hand again and the noises from around them penetrated their bubble again. Regina picked up her purse and walked away.  
"Regina," Emma called after her but without any delusion that she could stop her. And maybe it was better this way, maybe they both needed to calm down a little, think about things. She was gonna be a... baby daddy.  
"Oh, God. How am I supposed to pull that off?" she wondered aloud and then she slowly walked away from the diner, forgetting that her mother was inside waiting for her, forgetting about everthing but... the joyful news.

Emma had returned to the apartment but on finding a note there from Henry that he would be over at Hansel and Gretel's, she left again. And then she walked, thinking and walking. It was all so fantastical - but what hadn't been since she arrived in Storybrooke? It was a magical place, indeed... and then there was the fact - fact! - that she had made a baby with Regina... with a kiss. A kiss!  
It had been a nice kiss, full of promise, full of... wishing for more. And that was probably exactly what she shouldn't have done - wishing. And Regina was right, it had been stupid of her. She should have known better. But then, nobody ever taught her anything about magic, she was on her own. If she could just ask someone...  
Emma quickened her steps. She knew a person who knew everything about magic, maybe he could explain to her... how two women were able to make a baby.  
She entered Mr. Gold's shop.  
"Ah, good morning, sheriff. What can I do for you today? Are you looking for a token for a lover perhaps?"  
"No, thank you. I'm here... I have some questions," Emma told the man.  
"Questions? Is this about an investigation, deary? Do I have to call my lawyer?" Mr. Gold gave back with a comical smile.  
"No investigation. I have some questions about... magic and I think you're the expert in this town."  
"That I am," Gold said with a flourish of his hands. "I had actually thought you would visit me about this earlier. I could teach you, you know. I might have a couple of books..."  
"No books," Emma interrupted the Dark One's ramblings. "I have some... specific questions about... something."  
"Specific questions about... something? That doesn't sound very specific at all but... I guess. Ask your questions." He looked at her expectantly and she was about to do what he had asked of her when she remembered something.  
"Are these questions for free or will I have to give you my first-born? Because I'm not giving up Henry, you know that."  
"Ah, you learned. Very good. You seem... agitated, Emma, confused. I don't want to take advantage of you and I would really like to help you with your... understanding of magic. Let's say, today's price - just because it is St. Valentine's Day - is... one favor, a small one. How does that sound?"  
Emma looked at Gold thoughtfully.  
"You better not try to screw with me today, Gold. I'm really not in the mood," she warned him.  
"No, I'm just trying to be... a mentor. Do we have a deal?"  
"I guess," Emma said and stuck her hand out. Gold took it and they shook on it.  
"Now, what is it you would like to know, savior?"  
"Wishing. I would like to know... about wishing."  
"Hmmm, well, that is easy. You find a well with magical powers and it gives you what you ask for. Next question," Gold said.  
"It's a little different. What if... two people... on a night like, for example, New Year's... or on Christmas under the mistletoe... what if two people kissed, two people who... had magic..."  
"That could certainly create a... magical moment," Gold agreed.  
"And one of them was wishing for something.... but only part of that came true...."  
Emma was shaking her head. It didn't make a lot of sense, did it? Her wishing they'd make a baby and suddenly Regina was pregnant... it seemed wrong somehow but how could Regina be wrong about this?  
"Only ONE of them wished for something?" Gold asked and Emma nodded.  
"Yes, one of them wished... something... or thought of... something," she added not very helpfully.  
"I'm not to know what that something was, am I?"  
Emma shook her head in a vehement no.  
"Hmmmm... tricky but my answer would be... that is impossible," Gold said.  
"What? But..."  
He lifted his hand to silence her. There was something in Emma Swan that day, he couldn't say what it was but her emotions seemed to just lie under the surface. She now looked at him with desperate, sad eyes. She obviously wanted for him to take back what he had said, she wanted it to not be true - and he wasn't sure what that something even was.  
"It is impossible," he clarified. "for that wish to come true, even part of it, if only one of you... of the two people wished for it. You see, the kind of situation you described could only work its magic if the two people wished for the same thing at the same time."  
Emma blinked her eyes rapidly, the sadness gone, the desperation gone. Incredulity there.  
"Both of us had to... but... that little minx! She...." Emma became aware of Gold's presence just in time and blushed.  
He smiled.  
"Well, let's see... Miss Swan has kissed another woman with magical faculties on New Year's... it could have been a fairy, of course, but... as I recall that night you arrived at the library to watch the fireworks with... Henry and... the evil queen!" Gold giggled at the heightened color that rose to Emma's cheeks. Her jawmuscles worked and her green eyes were blazing at him.  
"You. Will. Not. Repeat. Any of this. Do you hear me?"  
He was still giggling in that unnerving high pitch.  
"Oh, but this is too good to be kept secret. But wait... what could you have wished for?" he then asked.  
"Forget it! It's not gonna happen. If you excuse me now, I think I have to have a word with the mayor." Emma turned and left the shop to Gold's renewed laughter.  
Oh, this was bad, it was so bad. Regina would kill her... that was if Emma didn't kill her first!

Emma hammered at the door to the mansion. She didn't think ringing the bell would quite suffice for the energy she had or the anger she felt.  
And then the door swung open and only just seeing the other woman dissipated some of that anger.  
"What the... Miss Swan!" Regina said in an impossibly dignified voice that set Emma on edge.  
"You lied!" Emma growled pointing at the other woman. "You said it was just me...."  
"Come in here," Regina interrupted and grabbed Emma's jacket collar. She pulled her into the house and Emma flailed her arms in surprise.  
"Careful," she barked but Regina had already let go of her and was closing the door.  
"I don't think the neighbors should hear this, do you?"  
"You lied!"  
"You already said that, dear. And I'm not even going to give you an answer because I didn't. You did this!" And she was laying both her hands on her abdomen.  
"Not about that. About it's all being my fault. It takes two to tango!" Emma accused and saw Regina flush. "You wished for this, too."  
Her words hung in the air like an unpleasant smell. They looked at each other, stubbornly staring into each other's eyes.  
"Who told you?" Regina finally asked.  
"Gold."  
"Of course, the imp. He was right, I wished for... something like this, too, even if my wish wasn't quite as... crude as yours."  
She was trying for a superior air but Emma saw through the act - she was embarrassed about this.  
"Tell me." the blonde gave the same command as Regina earlier but her voice was softer than the other woman's.  
"I guess... I was just as nostalgic as you that evening. And possibly... lonely. I thought of... havng a family, another baby, a girl."  
"That's why you know the gender? You wished for it?"  
Regina nodded.  
"You wanted a family? With me?"  
"It was just... sentimentality. You said it, it already felt like family and I.. thought about completing the perfect family picture. Not necessarily with you."  
"But you were kissing me," Emma argued.  
"As I recall, you were the one who held on tight," Regina gave back lifting her chin in an attempt to save at least some of her dignity.  
Emma shook her head.  
"You could have just said so, you know? How long would you have had me believe it was all my donig?"  
"Forever."  
Regina was nothing if not brutally honest - sometimes. Emma shook her head.  
"I can't believe this. How is this even possible?"  
"It's magic, Emma. It happens when stupid people dabble in something they know nothing about and go around wishing... things."  
"And we both made the same stupid mistake, Regina!" Emma yelled at the other woman who looked hurt. "I... I didn't mean that. I mean..."  
Emma looked down at Regina's middle, to the place where right now their daughter was growing inside her. Could this really be a mistake?  
"I think you better go," Regina said cooly.  
"I didn't mean that she's a mistake, Regina."  
"I want you to go, Emma."  
And that was that. Emma left the mansion to a door slamming. And she would have liked to still be angry with Regina, to be indignant about Regina lying but she couldn't. Regina was carrying her baby and as much as that fact still freaked her out, it also made her incredibly happy. They had created a life, a tiny thing that was growing and would soon be a baby, a girl.  
Emma smiled as she walked home. She was going to be a parent again, and this time she would be there to see her child grow up. And Henry would be a big brother. And Regina... would be the other mother. But what else would she be?

Emma sat at the kitchen table. She had a note pad lying before her and a pen in her hand. A million things were running through her mind right now. Baby names, telling her parents, not telling her parents, getting into the bug and away from here - stupidest idea ever! - telling Henry, calling a hotline for teen dads, calling a hotline for teen moms, calling someone she didn't even know just to tell them that she was going to be a baby daddy...  
It was all nonsense - or most of it, anyway. She had to start at the beginning and maybe writing it down would make sense out of nonsense.

\- I kissed Regina and magic happened (Xmas)  
\- I kissed her again and magic happened again. Then there was a pop. (New Year's)  
\- I thought about making a baby while I kissed her. She thought about having a baby, too.  
\- Regina is pregnant!!! 

"Regina is pregnant," Emma said as if she needed to say it to make it more real or plausible. It wasn't plausible but it was very real.

\- I want to help raise this baby, our baby.  
\- I want to be there for Regina. I have to help her. Not just after the baby is born but before.  
\- I have to apologize to Regina for being an ass!!!

She underlined this last item several times. It was the first thing she needed to do. She had to make sure, Regina knew that she wanted this baby, that she was going to be there for her. It was the most important thing right now. Emma got up from her seat and ran to the door. Then she thought better of it and ran back to the table. She took the note pad and stuffed it into her jacket pocket as she slipped into it. No need in having this kind of loaded gun lying around.

The door bell rang and Regina had the strong suspicion that it would once again be the sheriff... Emma. She felt tired and she didn't want to fight anymore. She thought about just not answering but knowing Emma the way she did, the sheriff would probably just keep ringing or kick down the door - or something equally obnoxious.  
Regina walked to the door and opened it. She looked at... a giant bouquet of flowers.  
"What...?"  
The flowers lowered and the sheriff's face appeared above it. She looked contrite.  
"Forgive me?"  
Regina closed her eyes for a moment. When she opened them again she was shaking her head.  
"Emma..."  
"Please, Regina. We will have to talk about this at some point. Why not get a headstart and have me make all the stupid mistakes now instead of when the baby is there?"  
Regina sighed. She really didn't want to fight anymore, so maybe talking would actually be an alternative.  
"Come in," she told the blonde.  
They settled down in the kitchen, that was, Emma sat down on one of the stools while Regina arranged the flowers in a vase.  
"I haven't seen Henry yet today? Don't tell me your parents are babysitting on Valentine's Day?"  
"No, he's at Hansel and Gretel's," Emma answered which earned her a raised eyebrow from Regina.  
"Those juvenile delinquents? Wonderful... and a second child on the way..."  
"Regina," Emma said but she felt her patience stretch at the other woman's criticism.  
"You can't just let Henry run wild like this. What if something happens...," but she didn't get any father, she was hyperventilating.  
Emma slipped from her stool and came over to the other woman but the mayor held her arm out to fend her off.  
"Don't," she breathed but Emma took her arm and stepped closer. She started rubbing Regina's back, then pulled her closer until she held her.  
"It's okay. Just breathe, concentrate on breathing."  
They both had their eyes closed as they stood, Regina still fighting to relax into Emma's arms but finally giving in. She slipped her hands around Emma's waist, burying her face in Emma's neck.  
"It's okay, Regina. You can let go, I'm here for you."  
"I'm scared," the mayor confessed and Emma nodded.  
"Me too, but we got this. We can do it," Emma tried to reassure where she still wasn't all that confident. They stood like this for a while.  
"How about I make us some cocoa and we can sit in the living room and talk about this?" the blonde then suggested and Regina nodded.  
"I'll have tea," she said and was about to pull away from the sheriff to get busy in her kitchen but Emma held her and they looked into each other's eyes.  
Emma's hand rose to Regina's face as if pulled by an invisible string. She just held the other woman's chin for a moment as their eye contact held.  
"I'm gonna make the tea. Why don't you go sit down, try to... not overthink it all. I'll be right with you," she said and for once Regina nodded. She left the kitchen to Emma and the blonde made sure that the mayor was gone before she leaned heavily agains the kitchen counter. She took several deep breaths.  
'I don't even know what I'm doing,' she thought and it was the truth. But Regina needed her and she would be there for the other woman, would be her rock. There was always time to fall apart later.

They were sitting in the living room, for a change next to each other on one of the sofas. Emma was casually holding Regina's hand in one of her own while her head rested in the other one.  
"What are you so scared of, Regina? We already are parents, and you did a good job with Henry. He's a happy boy, smart, outgoing."  
"I wasn't prepared for this, Emma. And don't even pretend that you were."  
"I'm not. I would never have... I mean, I guess I thought that there may be another child in my future but..." Emma shook her head.  
"Not with me," Regina said.  
"Well, maybe if I'd known that it was possible," Emma answered with a smirk.  
"Be serious, please."  
"I think that you're a great mother and any child of mine is lucky to have a mom like you."  
Emma let her eyes linger on Regina's face and finally the dark-haired beauty turned her head.  
"To make up for your recklessness, no doubt," she then, her caramel-colored eyes not quite serious.  
"No doubt... I was going to say, thogh, that I haven't had any definite thoughts about having another baby. But... one isn't always prepared for it to happen."  
"I just feel... like I have no control at all. We talked about this on Christmas, my magic just reacts with yours and... I can't..."  
"Don't overthink this, Regina."  
Emma's hand messaged the one she was holding with her thumb and Regina sighed.  
"I hate to not be in control," she confessed as if it was news.  
"I can tell," Emma said. "But it's gonna be alright. I'm here for you, Henry will be here for you. We're gonna be as much of a family as we can be."  
"Does that include the two idiots, too?" Regina asked with a roll of her eyes.  
"If you're referring to my parents, yes, they'll have their part in this, too. If they want it," Emma added with a frown.  
"You think they won't?" There was surprise in Regina's voice and she looked at Emma with something akin to worry.  
"I don't even know how to tell them about this. I... I don't know if they'll understand."  
"That you kissed me? Or that you hoped for more to happen? That we made a baby by wishing for... something perfect and permanent?"  
"All of the above."  
Emma sat looking at their combined hands for a while. It felt strange but also strangely comfortable to her sitting with Regina like this, talking to her. If they had stopped and tried to do this earlier who knew the kind of things they could have accomplished. But they were here now and they were talking. It felt good and almost natural to be doing this.  
"Your parents will come around. This is your baby, after all," Regina now reassured Emma and the blonde looked up at her. Regina's eyes were serious and confident.  
"Yeah, I guess..."  
"Your parents consider themselves good people, Emma. They would never not love a child just because they... hate me. They love you more than they hate me. We'll not be sitting around one table at Turkey day anytime soon but... this child will always be welcome at your parents' table."  
Emma looked at Regina's middle again where Regina's other hand lay as if already protecting the baby that was growing inside her. Emma disentangled her own hand from th other woman's and lay her hand on the mayor's as of yet flat tummy.  
"What are you doing?" Regina asked and Emma could tell that the gesture made her uncomfortable.  
"I used to do that... when I was pregnant, even this early. I... somehow I thought that the baby could feel the warmth of my hand. I know it's silly but..."  
"It's a maternal instinct," Regina said and Emma nodded.  
"Yeah, I guess."  
Emma concentrated on the feel beneath her hand. It was far too early to feel anything, it was probably too early to feel an attachment, too, and still Emma felt it.  
"She's gonna be remarkable."  
"Of course, she will be. Look at who her parents are," Regina agreed and they laughed together.  
"So we're gonna do this together." There was only the hint of a question in her voice and she looked up at Regina. The dark-haired woman nodded.  
"Yes," she confirmed.  
"Good," Emma said. She took her hand from Regina's abdomen and took her hand again. Her expression was thoughtful. "I think we should start dating," she then blurted out.  
"Excuse me!" Regina demanded, obviously confused by Emma's train of thought and how she jumped from caring for a child together to dating.  
"I'm sorry, I... I should have asked. Regina, do you wanna go on a date with me?" Her hopeful eyes looked up at the mayor and Regina was tempted to just say yes and think about the consequences later. But this wasn't just about two very enchanting green eyes, a sweet smile and - from what she could tell - very competent lips when it came to kissing with them. This was about much more than wanting to indulge in some frivilous and possibly naked activities, it was about responsibility and consequences. They had already made a baby through mere kissing. Who could tell what would happen if they... did more than that.  
"No," she answered Emma's question and saw the hopeful expression fall.  
Emma opened her mouth to protest but then closed it again. She looked down at their combined hands again before she spoke:  
"I thought... we should," she said. There may have been more words to follow these but Emma felt unable to form them.  
"We absolutely shouldn't, Emma. We're just not meant to be, we're too different."  
"Different is good," Emma argued with a pout.  
"Not when it's the difference between good and evil. We would only hurt each other - and our children," Regina gave back.  
Emma shook her head. She didn't believe that but she knew that she wouldn't be able to convince Regina that they could be happy together. Not now, at least.  
"I'll be asking you again, you know," she said as a way of fair warning and Regina laughed.  
"Just don't get your hopes up, I'm said to be very stubborn."  
"We'll see," Emma said with a small smile. "Have you thought about a name yet?" she then changed the topic.  
Regina raised an eyebrow but then shook her head.  
"I've only been at the doctor's this morning. There wasn't really any time."  
"Have you never thought about possible baby-names for a girl... is it sure that it will be a girl? I mean... I didn't think of... having a girl when we... kissed," Emma stammered.  
"No, you were busy imagining other details, I'm sure," Regina said with a smirk and saw the blonde blush furiously.  
"Don't blame me. Have you ever seen yourself?" Emma countered with a smirk of her own.  
To both their surprise, Regina blushed at the compliment. She tried to come up with an answer but couldn't quite overcome how sexy Emma looked at that moment with the heightened color on her cheeks but a cocky smirk on her delicious lips. She licked her own and swallowed at the overwhelming emotions and the desire to kiss those lips again. She had dreamed of a moment like this, she had remembered and desired for them to be alone. And then she felt Emma's hand on her cheek, pulling her closer, her breath on her face before her lips closed around her own. And she let it happen because she couldn't resist.  
The kiss build slowly, their lips taking the time to get reacquainted. And for once, there was no magic, for once there was just lips touching, breaths mingling, minds jumbling out of line with coherent thoughts. And then their tongues touched briefly and a stab of desire pierced Regina so violently that she moaned loudly. Hearing herself, the abandon, the loss of control in her voice brought her to her senses and she pushed at Emma and they parted.  
They were both breathing erratically, not able to look at each other but still sitting closely. Emma took her hands from Regina's neck, Regina hers from Emma's upper body missing the supple softness under her hands immediately. But there was no rethinking this, Regina knew it was ridiculous to want something that was potentially destructive to her son's happiness - and to her daughter's happiness.  
"We shouldn't be doing this," she said.  
"You're hard to resist," Emma confessed.  
"As are you," Regina gave back and they still weren't looking at each other. Emma leaned back into the sofa cushions, Regina's nearness made her dizzy and wanting. They didn't touch anymore but still the residue of heat hung in the air. They both simply breathed for a while.  
"I like Charlotte," Emma then said and Regina had to laugh in relieve. There would be no more drama that day, they would just gloss over the rocky parts in their conversation, their... relationship.  
"Charlotte Mills. It does have a nice ring to it," she agreed.  
"Charlotte Swan-MIlls," Emma corrected and Regina looked at her questioningly.  
"She's our baby, she's going to have both our names," Emma simply said and waited for Regina to agree.  
"Charlotte Swan-Mills... Henry Swan-Mills... I guess, there are worse names a person could have. I'm actually glad you didn't suggest to call her Snow White."  
Emma grinned.  
"It has crossed my mind but I knew you would never approve. Just as I would never let you call her Cora," Emma made clear.  
"I guess if I'm wrong and it'll be a boy... you're gonna insist on David... or James?"  
"Possibly," Emma said. "Probably James."  
"James Swan-Mills? There are a whole lot of s-es in that one. David Swan-Mills sound better."  
"We could always call him Rumplestiltskin," the sheriff suggested and saw herself pierced by an incredulous look.  
"That's not even funny," Regina said, even though Emma was already laughing.  
"You're just against it because it wasn't your idea," the blonde teased.  
"I swear..."  
"I would never call any of our children Rumplestiltskin, don't worry."  
Any of our children. It seemed they became aware of the phrase at the same time and looked at each other in silent question.  
"So Charlotte for a girl, and David for a boy?" Regina quickly said before either of them could contemplate a possible answer.  
"I think we should think about it some more... I like Charlotte but maybe we'll find a better name yet," Emma argued.  
"She would probably be called Charlie all the time."  
"Is that a bad thing?" Emma countered.  
"I'm not sure. Maybe we should make it Charlotte and Charles."  
They were rambling at this point, or sparring, not thinking anymore just talking.  
"You have the same problem with Charles that you have with James," Emma pointed out.  
"True," Regina acknowledged and then stopped. She closed her eyes and leaned her head back into the couch.  
Emma watched Regina, admired the wide plains of her face, the strong jawline, the defiant chin, those lips... her scar. She swallowed.  
In the last few weeks since New Year's her feelings for this woman had been so conflicting, so close under the surface. It had been an emotional turmoil, torn between physical attraction and the sheer want for this woman, her former aggravation and hatred for her and then... tender feelings... which may turn out to be love. There had never been any hope. But suddenly, everything's changed. She was sitting next to her now, close enough to touch. But not letting her. It was a different kind of torture and there were other people to consider.  
"We're gonna have a baby," she said. Such a simply sentence, such a grand responsibility.  
Regina looked at her.  
"Yes, we're gonna have a baby."

It was later than Emma would have liked it to be when she climbed the stairs inside the apartment. She had noticed the light on the upper level when she'd entered the apartment and was glad that Henry was still awake. She walked to the entrance between two curtains they had hung as a way to give them some semblance of privacy and asked:  
"May I come in?"  
"Yeah, sure," came the prompt answer. "You're late," Henry added as she pulled the curtains apart.  
"I know, I'm sorry. I had... things to discuss with Regina."  
"You didn't fight again, did you? I heard that you were fighting this morning at the diner?" Henry didn't seem happy about this piece of news, he frowned.  
"We did but... well, we'll probably be fighting again at some point but... we talked about it."  
"What were you fighting about?" Henry asked the question she had known and feared would come.  
They had talked about this, Regina and Emma. They knew Henry had to know, that he had to be the first to know about the new baby. They had talked about talking to him together or individually. Emma had suggested that she would tell him as soon as possible, that night. She felt they both owed him that kind of truthfulness. Regina had agreed, maybe she was even relieved that this part fell to Emma, that she had chosen it.  
Emma sat down on the bed, as close to a cross-legged Henry as she could.  
"There're some news... big news and we... had to talk about it. It concerns you, too, in a way and we... thought it best that you knew as soon as possible."  
"You're not going to die, are you?" Henry guessed and there was panic in his eyes.  
"No," Emma quickly said. "I'm not gonna die, and neither is your mom. We... that is, she... your mother is pregnant," she stammered.  
"Pregnant?" Henry asked wide-eyed. "But... how?"  
"Well, erm....," Emma started.  
"Forget that, I know how but who?" Henry corrected himself. "Who's the father?"  
"I am," Emma answered.  
"When did the two of you have sex? And.. how... that's not even possible!" he protested and Emma grinned.  
"Calm down for a second, kid," she told him and she took one of his hands, much like she'd done with Regina. She messaged it with both her own. "You were actually present when it happened," she told him and he looked at her bewildered.  
"New Year's, remember? We... kissed - on your insistence, I might add - and... magic happened. And that magic created what will be... your sister."  
"You made a baby with magic?"  
Emma nodded.  
"We were both thinking about how nice it is to... have a family and that let to the thought of having another baby. We must have thought it at the same time and... it reacted as a wish. Our combined magic, the traditional setting... and we made a life."  
"Wow," Henry exclaimed and Emma could only agree. "That is... wow."  
"I know, it's big. And, for the time being, Regina and I would like for it to remain a secret between the three of us," she said.  
Henry looked up at her.  
"You're not gonna tell grandma and granddad?"  
"Eventually... but... not right now. I need some time to... think about what to say, how to explain."  
"Just explain it as you explained it to me," he said.  
"They won't be happy about this, Henry."  
"Why not?"  
"You know why," Emma told him and he nodded.  
"Because they hate mom," he said clenching his jaw.  
"You know why, you know the story."  
"She changed, she's trying to change," he argued.  
"I know... and maybe they'll come around and... see it but... they'll need some time."  
"You're not gonna be able to keep this a secret for long. I mean, mom's gonna... get big," he said.  
Emma smiled.  
"Yeah, she will. She's gonna be...," but she stopped herself when she saw Henry's questioning face. "I will tell them before she's gonna show. Are you gonna keep the secret?"  
"Sure," he agreed. "Does this mean... does it mean that you and mom... are we gonna be a real family?" His face was hopeful and it seemed younger and more vulnerable than she's ever seen it. He wanted this... and, in truth, she wanted it, too. For him, for herself, for Regina... and their baby.  
"Regina and I are not couple, Henry. Not in the traditional sense of the word. We will raise you both together but... we're not gonna get married, or something."  
"Don't you love her?" he asked another hard question and this time she felt the need to - maybe - lie.  
"Not like a lover, not like she needs to be loved."  
Henry's face fell. He leaned back into his cushions, an adorable pout on his face.  
"But...," Emma heard herself say and he looked up at her. "... we'll still be a family. We may not be living together but... I'll be there for you and Regina and the baby. Always," she vowed.  
This seemed to perk him up a little and he smiled. He leaned forward and hugged Emma and she held onto him for a long while.  
"I love you, kiddo," she said.  
"I love you, too," he answered.  
"It'll be great, you see. You're gonna be a big brother."


	4. The Easter Egg

On Thursday - just before Easter - there was a knock on Regina Mills' office door. Before the mayor - she had been reinstated by default, since no one else seemed interested in the job - could even look up the door opened a crack and the sheriff poked her head in.  
"Hey," she greeted with a smile. "You wanted to see me?" It sounded hopeful, maybe too hopeful. In the last two months, Regina had Emma jump through a lot of hoops to even be near her. Usually, this nearness included a public place or Henry as chaperone. Regina didn't want to be alone with Emma and the blonde got that message loud and clear. There was not going to be any kind of romance like she may have hoped. Regina still tried to include Emma into decisions about the baby and that was why they talked frequently these days, often on the phone but when face to face never alone.  
That was why Emma was so hopeful - ridiculously so, she even told herself - about this meeting. Regina had asked her to her office for a chat and while she hadn't sounded particularly friendly, she had made it clear that they would be alone. It sounded serious but Emma just wanted to believe that maybe her persistence to ask Regina out on dates via text or email had worn the other woman down.  
"Usually when people knock on doors they wait until they're asked inside before opening it," Regina now lectured as Emma came into the room.  
"When has anything between us ever been 'usual'?" Emma asked with a grin. She had one of her hands behind her back and Regina only noticed this as Emma presented it with a flourish and placed a small white box on her desktop.  
"What is this?"  
"This is... well, it's an easter present. I just wasn't sure if we would see each other over Easter so... I also couldn't wait to give it to you," she admitted.  
Regina was fighting with herself. Emma was really persistent in her sweetness these days. She was sending flowers, she asked if she could do any chores around the house, and what about the baby's room, did she need help with anything? And then she would always look at Regina with those enticing green eyes and the mayor was torn between habitual annoyance and... tumultuous feelings of... gratitude and affection and... attraction. And she was fighting these latter which made her more annoyed with herself and the world they lived in - a world that would never accept the hero and the villain as... more than civil acquaintances.  
"Open it," Emma now told Regina and the dark-haired woman took the box from her desk. The box was very light and Regina raised a quizzical eyebrow.  
"Are you sure there's anything in here?" she asked with a small smile and when Emma nodded her head she lifted the lid.  
In a soft white cushion lay a pair of baby socks. The print made them look like they were high-tops converse in red.  
Regina couldn't stifle a laugh and Emma beamed at the reaction. She came around Regina's desk and kneeled beside her chair. The mayor took one of the socks from the box.  
"They're adorable," she said.  
"They're way cool. Highest fashion in street wear our daughter could be seen in, actually. I checked," Emma told Regina with a wicked little grin.  
Regina looked down at Emma, shaking her head at the blonde but at the same time falling into those irresistable eyes. She couldn't help herself, they were so close, she could feel the warmth radiating from the other woman, saw the love she held for 'their daughter' and she felt utterly overwhelmed. Regina licked her lips in anticipation of a kiss that just had to happen because she couldn't hold back any longer.  
But before she could move, before Emma could either, a phone vibrated in the sheriff's jacket pocket and the spell was broken.  
"Goddamn, what?" Emma cursed and stood. She pulled her phone free and answered it. "What is it?" she groused into it. "Oh, hey. Erm, sorry, mom, I was just in the middle of something.... no, nothing... I mean... just... erm, what was it you wanted?"  
Regina took a deep breath while Emma turned away from her and talked to her mother. Coherent thought finally returned and Regina chided herself for having lost it for a moment. She didn't know why Emma Swan had this effect on her, why she simply had to look at Regina and all resistance just went out of the window. She would have liked to blame it all on hormones but that was a male argument she didn't want to engage in. It had something to do with that first kiss - the one they had shared on Christmas. Everything about them seemed to have to do with that evening, the atmosphere, the things that had been said and done. Regina couldn't shake the memories; it was the one evening in her life that - despite some awkwardness - had been as close to perfection as she'd ever come to. It had felt like home.  
"I'm sorry about that," Emma said as she turned back to Regina and she could see by the look on the other woman's face that the moment was over. She sighed.  
Regina put the lid back on the box and put it down on her desk.  
"Thank you for the gift, it was very... thoughtful. Please, sit." And just as quickly the mayor was back, the woman in charge who didn't come near Emma with a ten-foot pole and a tazer gun.  
Emma sat down in one of the chairs in front of Regina's desk.  
"What did you wanna talk about?" she asked.  
"I take it you haven't talked to your parents yet? About the baby?"  
Regina could deduce the answer from the way Emma clenched her jaw.  
"Not... not yet. I... I've tried, I... have. It's just... it's difficult," the blonde stammered and lowered her eyes.  
"Well, I don't mean to rush you but...," Regina said rising from her chair. She pushed the long, conceiling jacket from around her waist and showed Emma her baby bump. "I'm starting to show."  
For a long moment, Emma stared. It was such a completely thunderstruck-by-a-rainbow sweet expression that Regina couldn't make herself move and hide her figure again. They seemed forever frozen in Emma's wonder of Regina's pregnancy and Regina's wonder at the love that showed so plainly on Emma's face. It was hypnotic. And then Emma looked up at Regina with such a bright, happy smile that almost made Regina come around her desk to have the blonde lay her hand on her growing tummy. Almost.  
"People are beginning to notice," the mayor informed Emma and sat down in her chair again. "Yesterday when I was slipping into my jacket at the diner, Granny stared at it, I'm sure. It won't be long until the whole town knows and will question my moral conduct. I'm not having it, Emma."  
"You're actually worried about 'moral conduct'? You're the Evil Queen, Regina."  
"Yes, I'm aware. Thank you, Emma, for reminding me that everybody hates me. But that won't free you of the responsibility to tell your parents that you... knocked me up," she told Emma.  
"I'm sorry, Regina, I just..." Emma made a defeated kind of expression. "I could lose them," she finally said.  
"I'm not being unsympathetic about this, Emma, but... it's been two months. You say you want to be a part of our daughter's life but that's not going to be possible if you're not being honest with everybody."  
"I know," Emma said but it didn't seem to hold a solution for her. She still sat like a chided child who didn't know how to do better.  
"Would it help if I came with you?" Regina asked. She was sure, Emma would say no but the blonde surprised her as she looked up hopefully and asked:  
"Would you do that?"  
"I... I... yes, I would," Regina finally answered and Emma smiled at her sheepishly.  
"I think it would help. I mean... God, I just want... my family, you know. And you and the... Charlie, you're part of it."  
"You're already callling her Charlie? I thought we had agreed on thinking a little more about names," Regina said.  
"I know but... I like Charlotte. And I like Charlie," Emma said with a hopeful little smile.  
Regina answered it with one of her own.  
"I'm calling her Charlotte, too, in my mind," she admitted. "Charlotte, mind you, not Charlie."  
Emma laughed.  
"I've been on the internet the other day. I... you'll think it's silly but I found a pregnancy calculator that tells you the due date," the blonde said. "It's September 24th."  
"That's what my doctor said, too," Regina said.  
"You've been... I mean, of course, you have been to a doctor. Who... are you seeing Whale?"  
"No, I've been to Augusta."  
Emma nodded.  
"Moral conduct and all that," she said.  
"More like, I'm not trusting Whale to keep a secret, not even if his medical license hangs on it. The rules in Storybrooke are a little different than anywhere else and I'm sure Whale hasn't even heard about doctor-patient-confidentiality when he studied medicine."  
"Right, good thinking. What else did that doctor say?"  
"Just that she's healthy and for me to keep stress at a minimum," Regina told Emma.  
"That's why you should let me help with the baby room. I could paint, you know, that's stressful," the blonde suggested.  
Regina smiled.  
"You know, I think I'm gonna take you up on that," but when Emma wanted to interrupt with possible suggestions, she held up a hand to silence her. "After we talked to your parents."  
Emma sighed.  
"Alright. You know, my mom just asked me if Henry and I were coming over on Sunday for a traditional Easter feast. I told her that I had to talk to you about your plans... we haven't talked about Easter yet."  
"You want to do this over the holidays?"  
"The way I see it, there will never be a perfect time. And maybe, you know, with the... theme of Easter, Jesus having died for our sins and the resurrection... maybe it will make a difference?" she said hopefully.  
"Now you're just fooling yourself, dear."  
"I know. Still, what were your plans for Easter?"  
"I haven't really made any because I didn't know what you had planned for Henry. I would like for him to be at my place tomorrow. I found a recipe online that I would like to try - salmon. Of course, Henry hates fish so he'll probably have steak," Regina rambled and then smiled over the way she felt comfortable with Emma to share even such inconsequential details.  
"Sounds delicious - the salmon-thing. I like salmon," Emma mentioned and gave Regina her best puppy look to go with her words.  
"Really? Hmmm. But you're probably busy tomorrow night, a beautiful young woman like you will probably have a date, right?"  
"No, not at all. I'm free," Emma said a little surprised by the playfulness in Regina's voice. She was teasing her.  
"Well, if you havn't got a better offer, would you like to have dinner with Henry and I tomorrow?"  
"I would love to," Emma said with a bright smile.  
"It's not a date," Regina clarefied.  
"Of course not. I usually wouldn't think of bringing Henry to a date."  
"Usually?" Regina asked raising an eyebrow. Emma simply smiled.  
"When sould we be at the mansion?"  
"Let's 7 sharp?" Regina suggested and Emma nodded.  
"We'll be there."  
"Good, then I think we've discussed everything I had on my mind," the mayor said and looked down on what she had been working on when Emma had entered earlier, giving the sheriff a hint to leave.  
"Of course," Emma said good-naturedly. She stood. "Madam Mayor," she said in way of a goodbye.  
"Sheriff Swan," Regina answered and then watched Emma leave her office.

"It's okay, ma, come on in," Henry told Emma as he stepped into the mansion. "Mom, we're here," he then called out to his other mother who appeared from the kitchen momentarily.  
"There's no need to yell, Henry. I'll be right with you," she then added and disappeared into the kitchen once again.  
Emma stepped into the atrium of the mansion.  
"I don't know why you're so delicate about this. I live here part-time, y'know," Henry told her.  
"I just don't want to barge in on her... unannounced."  
"She invited you," Henry argued with a comical look on his face.  
To say, Henry was a little confused about his mothers' relationship would have been an understatement. Sure, he had been the one to initiate their first ever kiss but if he had known that his mothers were to make such a drama out of it... well, he would have done it anyway. Sometimes it was actually sweet to watch the two women getting to know each other but most of the time it was frustrating because they resisted it so vehemently. Every other week, he managed to get them to sit down to dinner together and they would talk but if he got too pushy for them to talk to each other they would stop talking altogether. He would have been okay with them being friends but he saw clearly that this wasn't where this was going, he'd seen it when they had kissed on New Year's. Friendship hadn't been on their minds at that moment and he would be happy if they were to get together - but, oh ye Gods, did they ever make a fuss about it.  
"Your mom scolded me about walking into her office without waiting for her to ask me to enter yesterday, I don't think she'd like fo... oh, hi," Emma told Henry but interrupted herself when Regina came back from the kitchen. "Something smells good," she added with a smile.  
"It's okay, Emma. I've been expecting you and Henry is right, he lives here." Regina seemed to have overheard what they'd been talking about and Emma pushed her free hand into her jeans pocket in an embarrassed gesture.  
"I just didn't want to... oh, here, these are for you. Happy Easter," she then recalled that she had brought Regina flowers. She held them out to the other woman.  
"That really wasn't necessary," Regina said with a smile and took them.  
"I thought you'd like them," Emma answered with a smile of her own and their eyes met over the lovely bouquet and held for several breathless seconds.  
And this was another things Henry was confused about. Why did they always have to do that? It was so awkward when they just stood like that, staring into each other's eyes. At least, it was awkward for him and he really didn't know what exactly they were seeing when they did that.  
Henry rolled his eyes and left for the kitchen. Regina had told him that she was trying a new recipe with fish and he wanted to make sure that he wouldn't end up having to eat that, too.   
"The flowers are lovely. Thank you, Emma," Regina said when she finally broke free from Emma's intense gaze. "Why don't you and... where's Henry?"  
"Erm... kid?" Emma called out. She hadn't seen him wander off either.  
"Kitchen," he called back.  
"Kitchen it is, then."  
"Will I have to peel potatoes again? Because then I think I'm going ahead setting the table," Emma quipped and Regina gave her an exasperated look over her shoulder.  
"I've been cooking for hours already, the table is set. There is nothing else for you to do than to sit and eat, sheriff."  
"You should have let us help. I mean didn't the doctor tell you to keep stress to a minimum?" Emma asked as they entered the kitchen.  
"Cooking isn't stressful, it's relaxing," Regina gave back.  
"Is something wrong with the baby?" Henry asked.  
"No, everything is fine. She's growing just like she should," Regina told Henry. She lay a hand on his shoulder as he leaned over the stove lifting lids and looking into steaming pots. "Is everything to your liking?"  
"Brussels sprouts?" Henry asked with a frown.  
"I made them especially for you. Why don't you two go ahead into the dining room so that I have room to finish up and serve everything?"  
"I can help," Henry argued and Regina smiled at him.  
"I'd rather do it myself today. But you two are welcome to do the dishes later," she told them and gave Henry a little push toward the dining room.  
He took the hint and gave Emma a meaningful look that she better not disobey his other mom in that mood. He could tell she was nervous and she easily became irritable when nervous. Why she would be nervous, on the other hand, he didn't know or understand.  
And there really was no reason to be. After Regina served the food they all sat and ate and talked. It was a regular family dinner, the food was excellent, the conversation flowed almost easily - there always seemed to be moments between Emma and Regina when they got self-conscious or tongue-tied but it wasn't too bad this evening. And afterwards, Emma and Henry insisted on doing the dishes together.  
Henry cleaned a plate in the sink and handed it to Emma to put into the dishwasher. She smiled up at him, she was in a really good mood tonight.  
"You're really happy about the baby, aren't you?" he asked.  
"Sure I am," she beamed but then caught a frown on his face and asked. "Aren't you?"  
"I don't know. I mean... it kinda cool for mom to... have a chance to... experience that. I know she thought she couldn't have a baby and I see that it makes her happy. And I guess it's going to be... nice to have a little sister," he contemplated haltingly.  
"But?" Emma asked and stood after she'd put the last pot into the washer.  
"It's... you two. You're acting really weird around each other. I mean I'm glad you're not fighting anymore but... weird," he said with emphasis and Emma flinched slightly.  
"You know, kid. It's... strange for us, too. We haven't really expected to... be sharing another child, I guess. That takes some getting used to."  
"I'm not talking about the baby-business and I think you know that," he gave back and now Emma blushed. She looked toward the dining room, hoping that Regina wouldn't overhear them.  
"I'm not sure... I should be talking to you about this, kid," she said still not looking at him.  
"Why not?"  
"It's kinda personal," she told him.  
"So there is something going on between you? Are you... like sleeping together?" Henry asked in an agitated tone.  
"No, we're not, okay? Would you keep it down? I don't want Regina to know that we're even talking about this."  
"But...," he wanted to argue.  
"Kid, listen," Emma said and now she looked at him pleadingly. She took a few steps toward him and lay his hands on his shoulders. "I like your mom and... when she told me she was pregnant with... our baby I wanted for us to... date, maybe get to a place where... we could be a real family. But Regina doesn't want that, she doesn't want me."  
Emma saw Henry frown.  
"That's not her fault, or anything. These things can't be... forced. But I'll always be here for her and Charlie and you, of course. We're a family," she told him.  
"But she likes you, too. I mean more than likes, I'm sure," he said and she smiled at him.  
"Well, that's what I'm thinking, too, but... she doesn't want to be with me. Not right now, at least," she explained.  
Henry seemed saddened by this news. Like Emma, he wanted it all, the whole shebang, a real and really happy family.  
Emma pulled her son into a hug and rested his chin on his head.  
"No matter what, Henry, we're gonna be okay," she told him and then held him at arm's length. "And I haven't given up on winning your mom over yet, okay?" she said with a grin.  
Henry breathed a surprised laugh.  
"Come on, let's see if we can get ourselves some chocolate-y dessert. I'm sure your mom has hidden some Easter Eggs for you to find and for me to eat."  
"I'm not sharing my Easter treasure, no way," Henry told her and slipped from under her arm to race her into the dining room.

On Sunday, Emma was lounging on the couch in the apartment watching her parents go about their respective business. Snow was in the kitchen. After what she called 'the Christmas debacle' where she had been unable to feed her family, she had taken up cooking as a hobby. Just to get back into the swing of things, as she said. The result was usually surprising but eatable. She was now cooking a traditional Easter meal for the family and hummed happily with the music from the small kitchen radio.  
David was reading. He did that a lot lately and Emma hadn't yet come around to asking him what this was all about. She'd looked over the titles of his chosen literature and found that she'd known most of the stories but certainly all of the titles. They were stories - some folktales, some fairy tales, some science fiction. The strange thing about this wasn't that her father was reading, the strange thing was that he was taking notes about what he read in a notebook. And sometimes he simply reread his notes. Emma didn't quite know what to make of this but she'd been too deeply involved in her own life to care enough to ask.  
Her own life today was that she had told Regina to come over before church to discuss the baby and she hadn't even told her parents yet that the mayor was coming. She was paralyzed with fear of losing her parents, she was anxious to have them know everything that had happened but in a strange way she wanted them to know. And she was also looking forward to seeing Regina.  
Friday had been... almost everything she'd wanted it to be. She had felt comfortable and relaxed most of the time, they had made light conversation and played a board game with Henry after dinner. It had felt so real, like they were actually a family having a holiday celebration. But Emma knew how deceptive this kind of family life was - it had lured her into wishing for a baby and though she didn't regret it now that Regina was actually pregnant, she felt like she shouldn't wish for more of that right now... or things could get really ugly. Already she was overwhelmed by the task of telling her parents that she was going to be a parent again.  
Emma sighed and instead of getting up and telling Snow and David that Regina would be here any minute, she snuggled deeper into the couch cushions - maybe even in the hope of disappearing into them.  
That was the moment when a knock on the door roused them all out of their tasks and thoughts.  
"Damn," Emma made under her breath.  
"Were we expecting someone?" David asked his wife from his seat at the kitchen counter.  
"Not that I know," Snow said but looked over at Emma who had been suspiciously low profile so far.  
"That's probably Regina," Emma said.  
"Regina?" David and Snow asked simultaneously and similarly surprised.  
"Yeah, I... kinda asked her to come. We need to talk to you... about something," she stammered as she got up out of her seat and went to the door.  
There was another knock and Emma hurried while her parents looked at each other questioningly.  
Emma opened the door.  
"Hey," she said before she could even register the woman standing before her. When she did her face morphed into a wide smile. It wasn't anything special about what Regina was wearing or the way her hair lay in that perfect wave around her face, it was just... Regina glowing with her pregnancy. And Emma felt a wild flutter in the pit of her stomach. It was new and made her giddy.  
"Happy Easter," Regina said and gave Emma a rather reserved smile.  
"Come in," Emma said opening the door wider and Regina walked by her into the apartment - and into the questioning gaze of Snow and David's eyes.  
"Happy Easter," Regina greeted and then turned to Emma. "You have told them that I would be coming, right?" she asked under her breath.  
"Erm, yeah, I... just did."  
"Just? Oh, Emma," Regina scolded but instead of giving the younger woman a lecture she just resigned at the miserably fearful look out of green eyes. She turned back to the Charmings and tried a smile.  
"Well, hello Regina. We... Emma hadn't told us you were coming... for Easter," Snow said and then looked at her preparations for their family meal. It could easily feed one more person but if Snow had wanted to include someone in this affair it wouldn't have been Regina.  
"I'm not here for 'Easter,' really. I've come because Emma asked me to. We need to talk about something," she said and turned around to Emma again, maybe to pick up the string of conversation here. But Emma stood next to the door and she seemed ready to bolt out of it.  
"Alright, why don't we all sit down then?" David said rousing himself out of his surprise that Regina Mills should be in their apartment wanting to talk about something. "Please, Regina, sit down," he said and pointed at a seat at the kitchen table.  
Regina moved toward the chair but was a little startled as Emma hurried by her and pulled the chair out for her. There was an awkward pause as they looked at each other, Emma in mild embarrassment at her own action and Regina in bewilderment.  
"Why don't you sit there?" she told Emma with a meaningful look and sat down at a different place.  
"Right," Emma said.  
David was looking at his wife and she at him. This whole situation seemed bizarre to begin with but Emma's behavior bordered on alarming. Still, they sat down at their kitchen table to find out what this was all about.  
"So what is this all about?" David asked since neither Emma or Regina had started talking about what they were supposed to talk about.  
Regina looked at Emma but the blonde seemed lost for words. She tried to say something but no sound escaped her moving lips. She flinched at her own disability. Regina gave her a small smile then turned to Snow and David.  
"I don't know if you've heard, I'm not even sure word has gotten around yet, though I'm sure a couple of people have noticed - I am pregnant," she informed the Charmings who looked appropriately surprised.  
"Really? I mean... I thought you couldn't," Snow started but then stopped herself.  
"I couldn't," Regina confirmed. "I was rather surprised by the news myself."  
"Well, congratulations. I mean it's... good news," David said but sounded like he wanted someone to convince him that it really was good news.  
"Thank you, David," Regina said and Emma could hear the slightly annoyed edge in her tone. She herself felt the stab of David's disapproval.  
"It is good news," she told her father. "Henry's gonna be a big brother," she added.  
"Yes, that's wonderful," Snow said. "Does he know?"  
"Yes, Henry knows and he's thrilled," Regina told them with a proud smile.  
And then they all fell awkwardly silent waiting for the answer to the question that nobody would ask - what did Regina's pregnancy have to do with them?  
"Emma?" Regina said into the silence, urging the sheriff to finally say something.  
"The thing is," Emma started and took a deep breath. "I... I am..." She looked at Regina who wasn't willing to spill the beans for her but who nodded at her encouragingly. "I'm the baby's father," she finally said and the words brought a happy smile to her lips.  
"Excuse me?" David asked with a genuinely puzzled expression on his face. He looked at Snow who frowned but didn't say anything yet.  
"Regina and I... we... kinda made a baby? Not... like you think... we didn't..."  
"We made it with magic, it was an accident," Regina interrupted because she saw that Emma was flailing.  
Emma nodded to this.  
Snow simply looked from Regina to Emma and then to David. She blinked uncomprehendingly and David didn't seem to get any further with his own thoughts but he asked:  
"How can you make a baby by accident? I mean, Snow and I have been trying to get pregnant for awhile now but... by accident?"  
"As I said, we did it with magic," Regina repeated but knew that this didn't answer his question.  
"You did it and yet it did, like, just happen by accident?" Snow piped up.  
"Well," Emma said and everybody was looking at her now. "It was my fault, really. I... When we were at the mansion on Christ... New Year's, Henry insisted that... Regina and I kiss at midnight. I mean it was just... a traditional New Year's smack but Gold said that... with the tradition and two... magical people... you know, and I kinda wished to... I mean... we had spend that day together and it had felt... a little like family and... I wished...," Emma stammered and blushed so furiously that it seemed her heart could give out at any moment.  
"We both did, Emma and I wished that we could have that picture perfect family, you know, a boy, a girl... and that's how I got pregnant," Regina explained it as simple and close to the truth as possible. Emma looked at her, then at her parents to see if they bought this abridged version of what had happened.  
"It's a girl," Emma then added because it felt like this piece of information was yet missing. "We're calling her Charlotte."  
"Are you sure?" Snow asked Regina.  
"Yes, I've seen a doctor, it's a girl. She's due in September."  
"No, I mean... are you sure that Emma...," Snow started saying and then blushed.  
"That Emma knocked me up? Yes, very sure," Regina answered and her voice had a distinctive edge to it.  
"And are your sure?" David asked Emma.  
"Of course, I am. That's my... our baby. We kissed and then there was the purple magic stuff and... a pop. We made a baby, it happened," she said with conviction, suddenly not so much afraid of her parents' disapproval but that they wouldn't accept Charlotte as hers. She was also a little irritated, even though she had asked Regina the very same question. She looked from her mother to her father and back, she wanted them to understand that this was real and that she was happy about it. Given, she didn't look very happy at the moment, she looked anxious, but she was... happy, very happy.  
"This is... extraordinary," David said rather diplomatically. He looked at Snow for confirmation.  
"It certainly is. I mean I understand that you," and she looked at Emma. "would wish for a family, I really do but... why...?" And then she looked at Regina with a frown.  
"But why, the hell, with me, savior?" Regina asked sarcastically.  
"That was not what I was going to....," Snow started saying.  
"Please!" Regina interrupted her and rolled her eyes.  
Emma reached over the table and put her hand on Regina's. The mayor looked at her and Emma could see the hurt behind the sarcasm.  
"It was already like we were a family," she said. "Everything was so perfect, not just that evening but also on Christmas. The dinner, the atmosphere... Henry, he seemed perfectly happy... the kiss under the mistletoe. It was all..."  
"Wait a minute," David interrupted. "I thought you kissed on New Year's? Where did that mistletoe come from?"  
Emma blushed once again but the mayor just rolled her eyes.  
"Henry caught us standing under the mistletoe on Christmas and insisted on us kissing. And then he told us to kiss on New Year's - both times out of tradition. It wasn't anything secret or shameful. And it wasn't anything to write home about either," she added.  
"Excuse me?" Emma asked offended. "I've been told by plenty ladies that I'm a good kisser. Thank you very much!" she informed Regina in an indignant voice.  
"Plenty ladies?!" Snow breathed and put her hand to her throat. She didn't seem to get enough air just now.  
Emma found yet another reason to blush but then she simply faced Snow and said:  
"I'm kinda bisexual."  
"That's... okay," David blurted out. "I mean, it's... your... I mean... that's your... life," he finally said but then shook his head over the choice of word.  
"Yes, it is. And... I mean, I really want you guys to... be okay with... I want you to be Charlotte's grandparents, like you're Henry's grandparents but... if you don't accept her as my child... she's my child and I want you to accept her," she rephrased. "Please?"  
She looked from David to Snow with a heartbreakingly beseeching expression. There was fear in her eyes, the fear of once again losing her family and her parents understood that fear. Snow looked at David and he at her for a moment.  
"We love you, Emma," David said.  
"And we will love your children... all of them," Snow added. She looked at Regina who inclined her head in acknowledgement.  
Emma smiled.  
"Thank you," she said and rose from her chair. Her parents also rose and they all hugged.  
Regina looked at the three Charmings and felt strangely moved. She had been annoyed with some of what Snow and David had said and insinuated but she was also glad that they had come around - for Emma and for Charlotte. She knew that Emma had feared the worst and her vulnerability had been the reason she had offered her help. She didn't want to see Emma hurt, it was that easy - but it made everything else more complicated.  
She became aware of Emma's eyes on her, she was looking at her over Snow's shoulder. And she was smiling.  
'Oh, savior, don't do this. You're far too enticing for my own good,' Regina thought.  
Emma stepped out of her parents' embrace and came over to her. Regina rose, reluctantly as it seemed, and Emma then hugged her.  
"Thank you," she whispered gratefully. They held onto each other for a long moment, maybe even too long for Snow and David's well-being. And when they parted, Emma laid her hand on Regina's little baby bump. It was the first time and she couldn't help the giddy laugh that escaped her.  
"Everything's gonna be so good, Charlie. There are so many people who would like to meet you and will love you. Just you see," she said. Then she looked up at Regina who had tears in her eyes but tried to hide them by looking away quickly.  
"I should really go now," she said. It was so abruptly that none of the others seemed to have a second to react between her saying it and her opening the door.  
"Regina," Emma caled out surprised and then went to follow her. Regina was waiting for her outside and Emma closed the door behind her.  
"You don't need to go. Why don't you stay? We can celebrate Easter all together," Emma suggested.  
"I don't think that's a good idea, Emma," Regina answered. "I think we all need a little... time to digest... this new situation."  
"It wasn't too bad, though, was it?"  
"No, it was... alright. I'm glad for you - and for Charlotte. Whatever else Snow White and Prince Charming are, they have a lot of love to give and I'm glad our daughter will have them in her life," she said and felt that she actually meant it.  
Emma smiled.  
"She has you to thank for that. I was a total idiot in there," Emma said with a self-conscious grin.  
"Yes, you were."  
"Oh, thank you."  
"Well, you know what they say about apples," Regina quipped.  
"Not to take any from Evil Queens?" Emma gave back and they laughed together.  
"That too," Regina agreed.  
Emma suddenly stepped close to Regina and took her hands in hers.  
"I'm so happy right now," she said. "About everything. I'm happy about us having this baby, Regina. I wish..."  
"No more wishing," Regina interrupted her and they looked at each other from up close.  
"Just one more," Emma said and then leaned in to kiss Regina.

Emma reentered the apartment a short while later. She looked flushed, her eyes were slightly glazed. She looked at her parents who were once again sitting at the kitchen table. They seemed to have talked but were now looking up at Emma expectantly.  
"There's something else I need to tell you," the blonde said. "I think I'm falling in love with Regina."  
Shocked silence was her answer.


	5. Mothers' Day

Emma sat in the middle of what was going to be Charlotte's room, an assortment of wooden pieces of one piece of furniture around her. She frowned at the manual as she read, then she opened a box of tools by her side and took a screwdriver from it.  
"Should work," she assessed and looked around for the bag of screws which were supposed to have been among the assembly set.  
"You should have let me buy the ready-made playpen. She's not gonna know the difference, you know?" Regina observed from her place in a rocking chair which was as of yet the only piece of furniture in the room. It was a beautiful old chair which Emma had found when she'd visited Marco a few weeks back. She simply knew Regina had to have it, to sit in when she was nursing Charlie or read to her, or simply held her. She had purchased it on the spot.  
"That was plastic, and it didn't look very stable to me. No, she's gonna play in this...," Emma started but then got distracted as she screwed two parts of the mentioned playpen together.  
"... wooden prison you're building?" Regina asked with a smile  
"It's not a prison," Emma gave back and then looked at the drawing of an already assembled pen. "And even if it was, at least, she's not gonna be able to break out of this one."  
Regina laughed.  
"Considering who her 'father' is, I should probably be thankful for that," she teased and Emma squinted her eyes at her but only mock serious.  
"Considering who Henry's father was, you probably should be more concerned about him," she said under her breath as she resumed her work on Charlotte's playpen.  
"Excuse me?" Regina asked and Emma looked up. She tried a reassuring smile but it somehow slipped.  
"You never talk about Henry's father," Regina said. "Was he... a criminal like you?"  
Emma sighed. She didn't really want to talk about Neal but maybe she should have suspected that they had to talk about him at some point.  
"He was more so than me, actually. He... set me up to take the fall for his theft, the one I went to jail for," she said and Regina could see her jaw working over this revelation.  
"I'm sorry, Emma."  
Emma looked up surprised. She had thought that Regina would tease her relentlessly about how stupid she'd been, how naive, but she only saw genuine concern in Regina's caramel-colored eyes.  
"Thank you," she said.  
"What's his name?"  
"Why? Are you planning on maybe cursing him? Not that I would be entirely set against that..."  
"No, I just... I guess with Charlotte on the way, I'm wondering where... Henry came from. I know his mother but I don't know anything about... his genitor," Regina chose the word that made Emma look up at her in puzzlement.  
"Jenny-what?"  
"Genitor. It's a biological term, not really common but.. well, it serves the purpose of describing a man who... impregnated a woman but had nothing to do with raising the child," Regina explained.  
"That's an odd name, genitor...," Emma observed thoughtfully.  
"And yet accurate."  
"I guess," Emma gave back but didn't look up as she continued her work on the pen.  
"You don't want to talk about him, do you?"  
Emma shook her blond locks but then sighed. She seemed to think better of it.  
"His name was Neal and he... was a nice guy - before he set me up to take the fall for him. Erm... I don't know. What do you want to know?"  
"Did he have brown hair?" Regina asked.  
The question made Emma smile and she looked up at the mayor.  
"Yeah, darker than Henry's, though. And not as thick. Henry's got his eyes... and his smile," Emma related quietly.  
"Curious," Regina said and the sheriff looked up at her questioningly. "I always thought that Henry had your smile."  
Emma couldn't help smiling at that, she also blushed just a little because she knew Regina had meant it as a compliment.  
"Was he handsome?" Regina now asked as she felt that she had coaxed Emma out of her resistant mood a little.  
Emma raised an eyebrow at her, seemingly in challenge.  
"I thought so. I'm not sure if you would have thought so, though."  
"Why not?"  
Emma shrugged.  
"He wasn't especially... well-groomed. He... was negligent about his appearance. I mean... we weren't rich, we lived on little money and... food was more important than clothes," she tried to explain.  
"Do you think me superficial, Emma?" Regina asked. She didn't seem insulted, just curious.  
"No, no, I... I just think that we wouldn't... have the same type in... men, that's all."  
"And yet we were both... susceptible to sheriff Graham's charms," Regina argued.  
Emma blinked her eyes as she looked at Regina. There seemed to be a silent challenge in the dark eyes that looked back at her but Emma didn't feel up to it, not yet, maybe not ever. She said:  
"Neal was handsome. He wore a goatee and had dark eyes. But the most attractive thing about him... was his humor. He made me laugh a lot."  
"Was he charming?"  
"Yes, he was or... is, I guess."  
Regina nodded but didn't ask any more questions. It seemed her curiosity about Henry's genitor had dwindled while Emma talked about him. She drew her hands over her growing baby bump, seemingly in calming circles but Emma had found out weeks ago that Regina did this when she was nervous or dissatisfied with something. Could it be that Regina was jealous? Of Neal? No, probably not, Emma thought but she still smiled just a little imagining that she was.

Regina's eyes had fallen closed as she had watched Emma work on the pen and she was about to fall asleep when Henry entered the room.  
"Hey," he said.  
"Well, you're up late. I've been working here for almost an hour now," Emma told him.  
"I've been reading late," he said and then smiled at Regina who blinked her eyes, she seemed tired. He came over to her, leaning over her and kissing her cheek. "Happy Mother's Day," he said, touching her baby bump tentatively.  
Regina smiled at him and kissed his cheek in return.  
"Thank you, Henry. It's a very special Mother's Day," she said, laying her hand over his for a moment, until he seemed to get uncomfortable.  
He grinned a little sheepishly and Regina was reminded of her earlier words that his smile reminded her of Emma, and it was true. Especially when he smiled the way he did now.   
He walked over to Emma and hugged her.  
"Happy Mother's Day, ma," he said.  
"Thank you, kid," she answered and smiled at him as he looked at the work she'd done so far. She'd been doing a decent job of it and one could already see what it was going to be.  
"Looks like you're almost finished."  
"In another twenty minutes or so. Wanna help? You could test-play in it," she said grinning at him.  
"Very funny, ma, but I'm not a kid anymore," he told her plainly.  
"Well, you're not quite a man yet, either, Henry. Don't be too eager to grow up. I'm not ready to let go of you just yet," Regina told him with a loving look in her eyes.  
They all seemed to become aware of how intimate these words had been, of how much it conveyed that there was a family inhabiting this room. Regina looked at Emma, blushing lightly as Emma stared at her with an open expression of... something deep and meaningful. More meaningful perhaps than either was prepared for.   
Henry cleared his throat self-consciously and his mothers looked up at him.  
"I guess I'll go get some breakfast. I... erm... I've got a present for you both but... you'll have to wait until tonight," he told them.  
"What's tonight?" Emma asked.  
"I want to... take you out to dinner. You know, the three of us... at Granny's," he said.  
"You don't need to do that, Henry," Regina told him.  
"I know but I want to. It's Mother's Day and you shouldn't need to cook. I know you like to but... I wanted to do something for you. And I know that Emma likes to eat and... well, I can't afford something fancy but... I still wanna do it, okay?"  
"Sounds great to me," Emma said with an easy smile as she felt that Henry was getting anxious about it.  
"It sound wonderful, Henry. I'm looking forward to it," Regina also agreed and their son smiled at them.  
"Cool," he said and then left the room.  
"It's a sweet idea," Emma said.  
"Yes, it is, though I wish he wouldn't be spending his money on it. We could all..."  
"Regina," Emma interrupted the other woman. "He wants to do it, let him," she said.  
They looked at each other and Regina took a deep breath. She nodded.  
"You're right."  
"I know," Emma gave back with a grin. She saw Regina roll her eyes at her and laughed. "I wanted to tell you, or maybe you already know. The dwarfs have formed a union, have you heard?" she then changed the subject.  
"No, I hadn't? How did that happen?"  
"Well, you know what we talked about on Christmas. Mom sat down with everyone, they talked but there wasn't much progress... and yesterday I ran into Grumpy and he told me that they had formed a union, you know, to protect their rights. They'll be getting wages now and, you know, vacation, breaks. It seems, the dwarfs and the fairies had some intense meetings these last few months and no one even knew. But it happened."  
"Hm," Regina made. "That sounds almost sensible," she said.  
Emma laughed.  
"I know you don't usually think of them as that but it is... sensible. That way, the dwarfs will still be around when... that one graduates high school," she said pointing at Regina tummy.  
"Unless she follows in her 'father's' footsteps and becomes a juvenile delinquent, dear," Regina gave back easily.  
"I wasn't... really. I mean, I was just barely 18 when... I went to prison," Emma said with a frown.  
"I'm sorry, Emma. I probably shouldn't tease you about this, especially since... you didn't do it."  
"Well, I did other things I would probably have gone to jail for but... if I had known, you know... I never would have wanted for Henry to be born in prison," she said.  
"I know, and yet I'm kind of grateful for how things turned out. I wouldn't have Henry if you hadn't, I wouldn't be pregnant now if you hadn't."  
Emma gave Regina a small smile.  
"I guess, we can't really know that. Maybe I would have found my way here, maybe we... would have... hooked up," she contemplated quietly.  
"I doubt that," Regina said and Emma looked up at her with hurt eyes. "I mean... do you know... how many things would have had to work differently for you to even find your way up here?"  
"Yes, but you forget that I was destined to," Emma argued.  
"Right, the savior to the rescue," Regina said.  
They looked at each other again, seemingly forgetting the world that existed in favor of some thoughts about a world where they may have met under different circumstances. Would their relationship now be different if Emma had found her way to Storybrooke on her own - with their son in tow? Both of them blissfully unaware that the mayor of Storybrooke had been known as the Evil Queen in another realm? Would Regina have welcomed outsiders whose appearance in town she couldn't explain?  
Regina sighed as she thought of two other outsiders who'd once made it into her life.  
"You should get back to work or you'll never gonna finish that," she told Emma and rose out of her chair.  
"Regina?" Emma called out to the dark-haired woman as she was about to leave the room.   
Regina turned to her.   
"Would... you... have considered me... as a... lover if I wasn't the savior?" Emma asked, her bright green eyes imploring Regina to tell her that it would have been possible, even if it was a lie.  
"Are you asking me if I like women, Emma?"  
"No, I'm asking if you like me," the sheriff gave back breathlessly.  
Regina looked at her, contemplating an answer.  
"Maybe this isn't about you being the savior, Emma, maybe it's about me being the Evil Queen," she answered and then left the room.

Snow White opened the door to a beautiful and colorful bouquet of flowers. It lowered and Emma smiled from above it.  
"Happy Mother's Day," she said.  
"Awwww, these are beautiful but you shouldn't..."  
"Ah, ah," Emma interrupted in a warning tone. "It's Mother's Day and you deserve these," she said and handed Snow the flowers. "And these," she added and presented a box of chocolates.  
"You're spoiling me," Snow said.  
"For all the future children you're gonna have so that I'll always be your favorite," Emma agreed smiling.  
Snow laughed and took the flowers into the kitchen to arrange them in a vase. Emma followed and sat down at the counter.  
"You seem in a good mood," Snow observed. "Are you going to see Regina today?" The question came out seemingly nonchalant but Emma had an inkling that it wasn't.  
They hadn't really talked about Emma's state of feelings for the other woman since Easter when Emma had told her parents that she was falling in love with the mayor. It had seemed to Emma that her parents needed time for this information to settle in - more so even than the fact that she and Regina were going to have a baby.  
"I've already been to the mansion this morning. I built a playpen for Charlie," she said proudly.  
"Isn't it a bit early for a playpen? I mean, she's not gonna be able to play in it right away, you know?"  
"Well, it's not just a playpen, really. You can use it as a changing table and when you just want to lay her down when she's not sleeping. You can attach a mobile on it, you know... it's multi-functional but will ultimately be her playpen," Emma explained.  
"I see," Snow said as she arranged the flowers in a vase.  
"We... talked a little, Regina and I. I asked her... if she would want to be with me if I wasn't the savior," Emma said haltingly. She wasn't sure if Snow wanted to hear about this but she had no one else to talk to.  
"What did she say?" Snow asked, placing the vase on the counter with a smile. She looked at Emma attentively.  
"She was... evasive, I don't know. I think maybe... she thinks she's not good enough for me or... dangerous to me, I'm not sure."  
"And maybe she's right about that," Snow said.  
"Is that really what you're thinking? That Regina would harm me, maybe even on purpose?"  
Snow sighed.  
"Emma, I... I'm sorry, but I honestly can't quite understand... your feelings for Regina. To me, she's... the Evil Queen. And I know, you're convinced she's trying to change but... she tried to kill you once."  
"No," Emma said. "No, she never would have done that. I was a baby. Regina wouldn't be capable of harming a child, not even your child. I know that."  
"You didn't know her, Emma. You didn't know the Evil Queen. That's not just a title, not just someone mischievous and envious who puts people to sleep to be woken by True Love's Kiss. Our life wasn't a Disney movie, Emma. Regina was evil, she did horrible things and you know she tried to kill me and your father. Do you really think she would have stopped at killing our baby?"  
"Yes," Emma answered without hesitation. She looked confidently into her mother's eyes. "And even if... the Evil Queen wouldn't have, Regina would have, I know that," she argued.  
"I wish I was as confident as you are about that," Snow said. "So this... your feelings... Do you love her, Emma?"  
Emma looked up at her mother who was still standing on the other side of the kitchen counter from her. Her posture was expectant but there was a certain set to her shoulders, her jaw. She was bracing herself, Emma noted. But what was she supposed to tell her mother? A lie? Emma wasn't one to talk about her feelings a lot and maybe it would be better for both of them if she didn't answer the question at all. But Emma had an inkling that it wouldn't be better, it would just be easier for the moment and then come back to haunt her later.  
"I'm in love with her," she said. "And I think... I also love her. She's different... from anyone I've ever known and... I feel like there's this... person inside her, one she doesn't often show, and this person has an... endless capacity to love and be loved," Emma answered her mother's question.  
"I wish for your sake that you're right, Emma," Snow said after a long moment and with a bitter-sweet smile.  
"I'm not sure it will do me any good even if I am. I don't think she's... ever going to let me love her," Emma told her mother.  
Emma didn't expect her mother to say anything to this and Snow seemed torn whether she should. She looked at Emma with a frown.  
"Don't say anything, I know how you feel about this," Emma said and rose from the stool she'd been sitting on.  
"Emma, please," Snow said and instead of leaving the apartment which had been the instinct Emma had wanted to follow she turned back to the short-haired woman. "Would you like a cup of tea? Some cocoa, perhaps?"  
Emma gave her mother a small smile.  
"Sure," she answered and then went over to the couch, waiting for her mother to join her. "Where's dad at?" she called over to the kitchen after she'd settled down.  
"He's at Granny's. He's been talking to some of our friends lately. It's about finding a way back to the Enchanted Forest," Snow gave back.  
"He still hasn't given up on that, has he?"  
"No, and I don't think he ever will. It's his mission, getting everyone to their respective realms and then going home and be a king again," Snow answered as she set a mug with cocoa in front of Emma. She sat down next to her.  
"Is that why he's been reading all those books lately, the fairy tales?"  
"Yes, he's trying to find a way to cross realms."  
"Do you wanna go back?" Emma asked thoughtfully.  
"I think it's not necessarily a question of wanting to go back, Emma. Your father and I have responsibilities toward our people. We're royalty and from what I've seen when we were in the Enchanted Forest, people struggle to survive. We'll have to go back if we find a way... or, hopefully, when we find a way."  
Emma frowned.  
"And we'd want you to come with us," Snow added and her daughter looked up at her. She was surprised about this revelation, she was also just a little relieved, even though she had never thought of making the Enchanted Forest her home. It was a question of being wanted rather than deciding to go and settle down in that elusive place her parents called home.  
"I... erm, I...," she stammered and Snow smiled at her. "I'm not sure, I... I mean... I would have to talk to Regina about it, mom. I mean, because of the kids and... I don't know," she finally came out and saw her mother frown. Then Snow closed her eyes.  
"I know," she said and Emma felt like Snow was trying very hard to understand and yet failed.  
"I could never live anywhere without Henry and Charlotte, mom," she said.  
Snow nodded.  
"And we wouldn't want you to. It's just... it seems like... Regina is dictating... the conditions of our relationship to you. She was the one respon...," but Snow stopped herself there as she saw that Emma wanted to argue on Regina's behalf. "I can't do this... just now," the smaller woman rose from her seat on the couch and went back into the kitchen. She emptied her tea cup into the sink and then stared at the flowers Emma had brought her.  
Emma also rose. She brought her mug over and put it on the counter.  
"I'm sorry, mom. I'm... sorry that... I'm... not...," but she shook her head because she didn't know what she was supposed to be sorry for. For falling in love? For not wanting to be a princess? For not being the perfect daughter Snow had wanted to have when she was pregnant with her? How could she apologize for those things without denying herself, her life, her own experience?  
"I'm sorry you feel that way," she finally said and then walked toward the door. Snow didn't call her back this time, she had her own demons to fight with before she would be able to accept Emma loving her greatest enemy.

Emma neared the diner on foot as she came from the apartment and the walk over to the diner was short. She was wearing her one pair of tan slacks and a dark blue shirt, not her favorite outfit but probably her best. She wanted to show her son that his invitation was a special occasion for her, one to dress up for - and she also did it to show Regina that she could clean up nicely.  
When she saw the mayor standing in front of the diner, however, her brows drew together in a frown - there was no Henry with her.  
"Where's Henry?" was the question they both asked at the same time and then looked at each other dumb-founded.  
"He said he was going over to your parents' because his favorite shirt was there and he wanted to wear it," Regina told Emma.  
"He didn't get there, at least... when did he leave the mansion?" Emma asked, already pulling out her phone to possibly make some calls to see if something had happened to Henry. Strangely, though, she thought that people would have already called if something had happened to him.  
"Around 3," Regina answered Emma's question and pulled out her own phone.  
"Wait, I have a text from him," the sheriff said as she looked at her display. She tapped on her phone to open it. "Already inside, waiting," she read.  
They both exhaled audibly.  
"Thank goodness," Regina breathed.  
"Yeah," Emma agreed and smiled. "You look nice," she then observed at Regina's black skirt and burgundy blouse. She had thrown a black shawl around her shoulders which kept her warm but also hid her baby bump.  
"Thank you, Emma. That is a very nice shirt," the mayor gave back smiling.  
Emma held her arm out to Regina.  
"Shall we?" she asked and Regina laughed lightly. She took Emma's arm in answer and they walked the few steps to the diner's front door.  
As Emma entered the diner behind Regina, they both stopped just inside the door, surprised by the darkness and the one candle-lit table which stood in the middle of the room. It was the only table in the diner - except for the booths and those were covered with dark drapes. Low music was coming from the speakers around the room.  
"What is going on?" Regina asked turning to Emma who looked back at her just as bewildered.  
"I don't...," but then she was interrupted by someone entering. It was Ruby but she wasn't wearing her usual waitress' uniform but a slinky black dress.  
"Welcome to Chez Grand-mère. I'm Ruby and I'll be your waitress tonight," she said with a smile.  
"You're not serious," Regina said. She turned again to Emma, her eyes questioning.  
"What is this all about, Ruby?" Emma asked.  
Ruby looked at them for a moment seemingly undecided of how to answer that question and whether or not to break with her role for this evening.  
"Please, come in and sit down. It was Henry's idea. He wanted to do something special for you both on Mother's Day," she told them with an apologetic smile.  
"There's a difference between special and...," Regina wanted to say 'romantic' but stopped herself as if Ruby or Emma hadn't already guessed on how this all looked.  
"Do you wanna leave?" Emma asked her while Ruby just stood and waited for her guests to decide on what they wanted to do about this situation.  
"I... I don't know. I... we should talk to Henry about this, shouldn't we?"  
She looked over at Ruby.  
"He's not here," the waitress said. "He... said he wanted for you two to... eat together and have a nice evening."  
"Was all of this his idea?" Emma asked and her friend nodded. Emma turned to Regina. "Maybe we should... eat?" she implored.  
"Do you really want to... he will think that.."  
"It's just dinner, Regina. Can't we sit down together and have dinner?"  
Regina looked up at Emma. Their eyes locked and Regina could see that it was somehow important for the blonde, that she maybe even needed this right now. The mayor felt her own better judgment pull at her to refuse, to go home, to have a talk with Henry about... appropriateness. But the look in Emma's eyes made her just a little too willing to ignore that nagging side of her.  
"All right," she said and the smile that spread over Emma's lovely features made her instantly glad that she had. She smiled back at the blonde.  
"We stay," Emma told Ruby and walked to the table. She pulled a chair out for Regina and the brunette smiled at the gallant gesture before she sat down.

They had ordered from the diner's usual menu and Ruby had already brought them their drinks before leaving the two women to themselves.  
"What do you think had possessed Henry to do all of this?" Regina asked.  
"I... It was probably my fault. He was... a little confused about... us, how we stood to each other..."  
"And what did you tell him?" the mayor interrupted Emma's ramblings and raised an eyebrow at her.  
Emma cleared her throat.  
"I told him that... erm, we were... going to be a family, or as much of one as we could be... considering that we're not... a couple."  
"You told him that... last part, you sure?"  
"Yeah, I did but... maybe not as... plainly as I had hoped," Emma kept stammering.  
Regina squinted her eyes at Emma but she didn't question the blonde any further. She knew that Henry had a keen perception and she also knew that sometimes... Emma and she just lost each other in each other. It had happened frequently this last month while they had seen so much of each other. Emma had painted the nursery, she was always running errants for Regina, had even driven her to her doctor's appointment for her first sonogram. It was really no wonder if Henry was confused - it was actually no wonder that she herself was equally confused.  
She knew what all of this meant, of course, she just wasn't sure how she could have let it go so far. She just couldn't forbid Emma access to her life because... her own life and that of their baby were one at the moment. And she also enjoyed the attention and Emma's good humor, the verbal sparring they had started to engage in. They were always teasing each other, they were having long talks and Regina couldn't even remember when she'd last had this kind of stimulation in her life. And she couldn't quite believe how much she had missed this - being able to talk to someone about... her life, books she was reading, a movie or something from her past. And she had learned some interesting things about Emma as well.  
All of this was so easy to fall into and she had let herself fall - willingly, certainly, but maybe even eagerly.  
"We'll have to talk to him," Regina said and Emma nodded.  
"I know... tomorrow," Emma said smiling.  
"This is not a date, Emma," Regina warned.  
"Yes, it is. We've been set up and it's most definately a date."  
"You didn't have anything to do with this, did you?" Regina asked with a warning edge in her voice but Emma shook her head.  
"No, but I'm not exactly disappointed either. Are you?" Emma smirked and Regina wasn't surprised to see it. She shook her head at the sheriff but couldn't hide her own smile.  
"You and your son are one of a kind."  
"We sure are," Emma said proudly and they both laughed.  
"So, I wanted to ask - since it's kinda obvious by now - has anyone commented on your pregnancy yet?"  
"No, nobody," Regina answered.  
"Nobody? You mean nobody is even in the least curious how you got... like... who did that to you?" Emma asked incredulously.   
Regina laughed some more.  
"Your virility is still undetected, savior. I'm sorry."  
Emma rolled her eyes.  
"It's not that. I just thought... people would be curious, that's all."  
"They are. I've had my share of furtive glances all week. But nobody's come out and said anything about it yet. It's actually fun to... you know, raise eyebrows at people when they're staring and see how fast they're looking away again," Regina said smiling.  
"Maybe we should make an announcement or something," Emma pondered but not very seriously.  
"Do you want to take out an ad in the paper? Print my face over a page with the caption: Who impregnated this woman? and on the following page a picture of you with that annoyingly confident smirk and the caption: The savior did!"  
They were both laughing when Ruby came over to serve their food.  
"Well, it's nice that you're enjoying the evening. Can I get you something else to drink, maybe some wine with dinner?" she asked.  
"I'm off alcohol at the moment, thank you," Regina said and watched Ruby blush.  
"I'm.. I mean I... sorry," the waitress stammered and tried very hard not to look down at Regina's middle.  
"None for me, either. But if you could get me another soda?"  
"Of course," Ruby said quickly and took Emma's glass. She hurried away.  
"You're evil, Regina," Emma whispered and her companion smiled rather proudly.  
"I know," she answered and they waited for Ruby to bring Emma her beverage.  
"I'll be upstairs, just say my name if you need anything, okay? I'll hear you," Ruby said when she came back.  
"Thank you, Ruby. Will do," Emma answered and the waitress left the two women to their food and conversation.

"I ran into your mother the other day at the pharmacist's," Regina told Emma at some point.  
"Really, she didn't say anything when we talked earlier."  
"It wasn't especially memorable, I didn't try to kill her or anything," Regina quipped and Emma rolled her eyes. "No, she asked me how I was feeling and if everything was okay with the baby. So far, she's been the only one who has even acknowledged my pregnancy in public. And she recommended some vitamins I should take."  
"Well, vitamins are never a bad idea, are they?" Emma asked.  
"You know what they say about an apple a day..." Regina answered with a smirk.  
"Right, the Evil Queen and her apples. Of course, now you'll have to eat for two," Emma said pointing her fork at Regina baby bump.  
"I got that covered, don't worry."  
"Did Snow say anything else?" Emma asked after a while and she seemed rather thoughtful.  
"We didn't talk long, it was awkward as it was," Regina said and saw Emma nod. The blonde didn't say anything more but she seemed serious now, almost solemn. "Emma, are you all right?"  
"Yeah, I'm... I'm good. Have you decided on a dessert yet? Apple pie, maybe?" Emma said with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.  
Regina reached her right hand over the table and took Emma's; the blonde looked up at her questioningly.  
"Did something happen today? When you talked to Snow?"  
The sheriff shrugged. She didn't want to go into her problems with her parents, or the problems her parents had with her. It would mean that she would have to reveal her feelings for the other woman and she was sure that neither of them was ready for that yet.  
"If you don't want to talk about it that's okay. But you could, you know?" Regina said carefully but her look into Emma's eyes was unwavering. She wanted Emma to know that she would listen, that she would be there for Emma just as Emma was there for her.  
"It was just...," Emma shook her head and stared at the food on her plate. She had lost her appetite and put her fork down next to her half-finished lasagna. "You know how it is, really. I mean you lived it. My parents are just not happy that..."  
"I'm a part of your life... through Charlotte, of course."  
Emma nodded, even though the baby wasn't at the core of it; Regina was.  
"They know how much... this baby means to me. I mean, they know how much I love Henry and they understand it. I mean... I guess it's a little different now... my involvement with you... I mean, not involvement... just the fact that you... are pregnant with my... our baby. It means that we're spending more time with each other and...," Emma sighed. She closed her eyes at the nonsense she was stammering.  
"They don't like it, I get that," Regina said. She tried to sound like she didn't care but Emma could hear a hint of... bitterness, probably.  
Regina was still holding her hand and Emma became suddenly very aware of it, of how they had just been holding onto each other and forgotten about it. She looked down at their combined hands and squeezed Regina's fingers. When she looked up she felt her eyes instantly captured by Regina's over the candles that lit their table. She felt all air leave her lungs as she was drowning in their chocolat-y warmth.  
Emma swallowed as she felt the fluttering in her stomach rise to a new level and she just barely kept herself from leaning over the table to kiss the other woman. She wanted to and she could plainly see that Regina wanted her to. But that wasn't all she could see in Regina's eyes. There was yearning, yes, but there was also fear.  
"Would you... would you like to dance?" Emma found herself asking. She wasn't sure where the question had come from - if not from the desperate want to hold Regina in her arms - but she felt that she really wanted to do it.  
Regina answered with a slow nod and Emma rose. She held her hand out to the smaller woman and Regina took it. She didn't say anything, she seemed... frail to Emma at that moment, not quite sure why she was doing what she was doing and doubtful that she should. Emma lay her arm around her waist and put their combined hands just above her heart. They moved slowly to the low tones of the music, their eyes never wavering from the other's.

Emma was walking Regina home. It was late and Emma had dared taking the mayor's hand confident that they were concealed by darkness. She hadn't interlinked their fingers but was holding Regina's hand like a child would.  
"You know, I'm looking for an apartment," she said into the silence that had engulfed them since they'd left the diner.  
"Really?" Regina asked surprised.  
"Yes, I think it's time I get my own place, or rather a place for me and Henry. I've already talked to Gold and he said he'd look into it."  
"I think that's a good idea, Emma," Regina told her and they smiled at each other.  
"It'll make it easier on everybody," Emma mused. "It might not matter in the long run, I guess. I'm sure David will find a way for everyone to go home but..."  
"Go home?" Regina interrupted.  
"Yeah, David is trying to find a way to cross realms so that everyone will be able to go back," Emma said.  
"Hmmm," Regina merely made at this.  
"What does that mean?"  
"It means that I'm curious about how he wants to do that," Regina answered carefully. She looked up at Emma who raised her eyebrows at her in silent question. "I've been thinking about this myself, lately."  
"You want to go back?" Emma asked and her voice took on a desperate note.   
Regina shook her head.  
"No, I don't but I know that mostly everybody else wants to. I thought that maybe I could... come up with a way but I haven't yet. I'm almost sure that Rumple would be the only one to accomplish that, actually."  
"Well, David is trying. He's reading books and talks to everybody. Maybe I should tell him to have a chat with Gold?" she wondered aloud.  
"He could try, I'm not sure it'll do him any good, though. Rumple had his reasons for wanting to come here in the first place and even I don't know what those reasons were."  
For a while they simply walked without talking while Emma thought about what Regina had said.  
"Well, I guess it won't hurt if David talks to him," she said.  
"Probably not," Regina answered but it didn't sound like she thought it would do any good either.  
"I really enjoyed our evening together," Emma said as they neared the mansion. She looked at Regina's profile, the way the light from the few streetlights eluminated it in a golden glow.   
"Me, too. But that doesn't mean we don't have to talk to Henry about... us. He's probably waiting for me right now to hear... how it went," Regina contemplated.  
"What're you gonna tell him?"  
"That it was a nice evening but that it won't happen again, not like this," Regina said seemingly stern but there was a frown between her eyes that seemed doubtful of her own words.  
"Are you sure?" Emma asked but didn't wait for the mayor to answer before she said, "You know, I just realized...," Regina looked up at her. "It's a holiday and we... we have kissed on every holiday since Christmas." Emma smiled at her companion.  
"I'm aware," Regina said. She tried to look serious, very mayor-ly, the way she used to look at Emma when they didn't know each other very well.   
And Emma found that she could look behind that mask pretty easily now. She was still smiling, confidently so.   
"If you think you're gonna get lucky tonight... I mean, not lucky... just... If you think I'm going to kiss you just because you've established this kind of tradition, you have another thing coming, sheriff," Regina finally said lifting her chin indignantly and throwing her hair back from her face.  
"I established that tradition? Funny, I seem to recall you being a very eager participant ever since New Year's," Emma teased. "And, you know, I was just thinking... I'm not gonna make my lips available to you anymore. No, not if you keep denying that there's something going on between us," her voice still sounded light but there was ernestness in the words. "You know what I want," she then added quietly.  
"You want a family. You want our children to grow up with both their parents raising them, being there for them, living together in a nice home. I get that, Emma, it's what I wished for when we... made Charlotte. I'm just..."  
"Do you really think that this is what it's all about?"  
"I know that... you grew up without a family and, of course, you want our children to have an intact family, Emma. I want that, too. But what if you... met someone?" Regina asked and found her throat close at the mere thought of it.  
Emma pulled at Regina's hand and they stopped just steps from the gate that entered the mayor's property.  
"Meet someone? What're you talking about? I... have you forgotten what I wished for when we made Charlie? What I wanted at that moment?" Emma asked. She looked at Regina with an open, almost demanding expression.  
"You wanted... to..." Regina stammered as her jawmuscles worked against an uprising of emotions.  
Emma lay her hands on Regina's upper arms, holding onto them because she thought that Regina might bolt at any moment.  
"I wanted to make love to you," she told her.  
"That's not how you put it before," Regina argued.  
"That's how I've come to think about it."  
They stared at each other in sudden recognition.  
"You...?" Regina tried asking but swallowed the rest of the question.  
"I want you, Regina. I want you just as much as I want this family to happen. That's why I've been asking you out," Emma told her plainly.  
Regina blinked her eyes, then her hand rose to Emma's face and she cupped her cheek, pulling her close. Their lips came together eagerly as Emma pulled Regina into her arms. They kissed with abandon but had to part for breath after a short while.  
Regina seemed to become aware of their surroundings and blushed.  
"Walk me to the door?" she asked still slightly breathless.  
Emma merely nodded and took Regina's hand again.  
They walked through the gate and Regina was thankful that she could leave Storybrooke behind the garden hedge. They only stopped when they stepped onto the front steps of the mansion.  
"So what do you say?" Emma then asked. "Will you go out with me? On a date?"  
"I thought we just did that," Regina answered a little evasively.  
"You know what I mean," Emma gave back. "Maybe we could... catch a movie after your next doctor's appointment? Have dinner in Augusta if you don't want everyone here to know?"  
"People will probably know by tomorrow, Emma. I mean... we weren't exactly invisible sitting in the diner at a candle-lit table," Regina said still not answering Emma's question.  
"Do you mind that?"  
"I'm not sure," Regina answered honestly and Emma felt like the mayor was already pushing her away again. She'd done this after they had kissed on Easter and Emma had wanted to talk about it. Regina had simply silenced her with a scolding look, now she was stalling Emma into relenting, or tried to because Emma wasn't going to let that happen anymore.  
"Regina, please, go out with me," she said as she held her arms like she'd done it before. Her eyes looked imploringly into the mayor's which were hesitant, fearful still. "What're you afraid of?" Emma found herself asking.  
"I...," Regina wanted to argue that she was not but the words wouldn't come. "Being in love," she finally admitted in a small voice. "Being happy. Those things didn't turn out so well when I tried them last."  
"And so you're just gonna... not try them again?"  
"We're so wrong for each other, Emma," Regina argued. "You must see that."  
"All I see is you, all I think is you. I can't... not try to make you happy, both of us. And Henry. And Charlie when she's old enough to realize that her parents... are in love."  
Emma touched Regina's cheek softly, carressing it and Regina caught the hand in her own. She kissed it and held her eyes closed as she held onto it. Emma felt dizzy with emotions, she wanted so much to hold Regina, to kiss her again. But she waited for the other woman to make her decision.  
Finally Regina opened her eyes and looked up at Emma.  
"All right, you win, savior. But you're gonna have to work to woo the Evil Queen because she's not easy," Regina told her and straightened into a regal posture.  
"You sure about that because I heard she got knocked up by a mere kiss," Emma gave back playfully.  
"Hush, you....," Regina started but was interrupted by two lips capturing hers. This kiss didn't burn as hot as the one before, they took their time just feeling the connection, getting to know each other. After a good long while, Regina pushed Emma slowly away but just enough for them to stop kissing. They were still holding each other and Regina breathed into Emma's neck.  
"You make me dizzy, Regina."  
"Good, then I'm not the only one," Regina gave back. "I have to... go now," she said after another long moment of just enjoying Emma's arms around her.  
Emma nodded but didn't let go of Regina just yet. The mayor had to push at her stomach to make her open her arms.   
Regina stepped to the door and unlocked it while Emma leaned against the doorframe.  
"Will I see you tomorrow?" the sheriff asked with a slight pout.  
"Maybe," Regina answered.  
"We could have lunch, I could get us something from the diner and come to your office. I could make it look like official sheriff's business," she suggested.  
Regina smiled.  
"This is not going to be easy, Emma, the savior dating the Evil Queen. Your parents won't be the only ones to not like it," the mayor warned.  
"I don't care. They can all just go back to the Enchanted Forest, I'm gonna stay here and have my own happy ending."  
Regina kissed her once again.  
"Let's make a beginning before we start talking of endings, all right?" she said and then pushed the door open.  
"I'll call you tomorrow," Emma said as Regina entered her home.  
"You do that. Goodnight, Emma."  
"Goodnight," Emma answered and waited until Regina had closed the door before she turned and walked along the garden path. She was smiling.

When Regina reached the upper landing of the mansion, she stopped and listened in the direction of Henry's room. There were no sounds coming from her son but she could see a sliver of light reaching out from underneath his door into the hallway. She knocked.  
"Come in," Henry's voice came muffled from his room and she opened the door.  
"It's late," she told him with a smile and he answered with one of his own - so much like Emma's.  
"How was you dinner?" he asked and leaned forward, closing his book over one finger.  
She looked at him for a moment with a seemingly scolding expression but then her features softened. She rolled her eyes at him.  
"Emma and I had a nice evening," she said.  
He could barely contain his happiness at her words and his smile got impossibly wide.  
"Great," he said.  
"We'll have to talk about this, you know. You can't just...," but there Regina stopped herself. She leaned against the doorframe as if defeated. "It was really nice of you, Henry, to... do this for us. I... I think we might do it again..." She saw his hopeful expression.  
"That's great," he said, nodding his head.  
"We'll see. Henry," she said in a very seriuos tone and he looked at her attentively. "Whatever happens or doesn't happen between Emma and I... will be between Emma and I. We love you both and that will never change. But... whether we... will have a relationship or not, that's between us and has to... grow between us, if it will. Do you understand?"  
Henry's expression became serious as well and he nodded.  
"I want you to be happy, mom," he said.  
Regina smiled and was fighting tears hearing Henry say this. They'd come a long way from the boy who ran away from her calling her 'the Evil Queen' and the woman who was too afraid to love him because she was the Evil Queen.  
"I am happy, Henry," she told him. "It's time for bed, okay? No more reading."  
He nodded and took a bookmark from his bedside table. He put it where his finger had held the book and then put it on the nightstand.  
"Noght, mom."  
"Sleep tight, Henry," she told him and closed the door to his room.


End file.
